IDC Estimates 3.6 Million Apple Watch Units Sold in Q2

While we still have yet to receive any information on how many Apple Watches Apple has sold (don’t hold your breath), IDC estimates that Apple has sold roughly 3.6 million units from April to June.

According to IDC, 3.6 million makes up about 20% of the overall wearable market during the same period and puts Apple behind Fitbit which shipped about 4.4 million wearables devices in that same timeframe. Of course, the obvious difference is that no Fitbit is capable of doing what the Apple Watch does and its price reflects that.

Anytime Apple enters a new market, not only does it draw attention to itself, but to the market as a whole,” noted Ramon Llamas, Research Manager for IDC’s Wearables team. “Its participation benefits multiple players and platforms within the wearables ecosystem, and ultimately drives total volumes higher. Apple also forces other vendors – especially those that have been part of this market for multiple quarters – to re-evaluate their products and experiences. Fairly or not, Apple will become the stick against which other wearables are measured, and competing vendors need to stay current or ahead of Apple. Now that Apple is officially a part of the wearables market, everyone will be watching to see what other wearable devices it decides to launch, such as smart glasses or hearables.

IDC also estates that Apple Watch sales made up about two-thirds of the smartwatch market.

It’ll be interesting to see where the Apple Watch stands after the holidays since the company continues to expand its retail presence, most recently pushing them into Best Buy stores where sales have been very strong. That and the combination of watchOS 2 and potentially new case colors could push Apple into the number #1 spot in just a few months.