Apple Watch Owners Have An Average of 2 Bands, Sport Band Is Favorite

A new report from Wristly dives deep into band usage and popularity amongst Apple Watch owners. According to the survey, 75% of Watch owners say the Sport band is their first choice when purchasing, with the Milanese Loop coming in second at 11%.

Another interesting bit of information seems to show that Apple Watch band ownership is increasing, going from about 1.4 bands per user to nearly 2 bands per user.

Looking at the whole data set, another significant insight is that the average number of bands per Apple Watch owner has increased from about 1.4 bands per user when we measured it mid-July to almost 2 per respondent this last week.

Wristly has also found that many Apple Watch owners are buying third-party bands, rather than Apple bands, presumably because they are cheaper.

Finally, we are noticing a strong uptick in the number of Wristly panelists who purchased at least one band from a third-party. This number was close to zero last July, but the recent availability of compatible bands at all various price ranges has sparked band shopping. We will keep monitoring this trend as more and more bands become available.

This makes a ton of sense because many third-party Apple Watch bands are beginning to hit the market for substantially less than Apple’s bands. Take for example, the Midnight Sport Band which we reviewed. This band goes for $16 on Amazon, over 70% less than the same band Apple sells in-store. Of course, it’s not made of the same materials, but in 2 weeks of usage so far, this band has held up just as well.

Finally, Wristly reports that respondents continue to be satisfied with their Apple Watch, which 85% saying they would have a “hard time” giving up their Watch. This suggests that satisfaction continues to “off the charts” as Tim Cook would say.

85% of the members of the Wristly panel would have a hard time giving up their Apple Watch. That’s a high number which correlates to the high satisfaction we keep measuring and a testament to the everyday value Apple Watch brings to its owners.

Head over to Wristly to see more on their report for the Apple Watch.