Apple Watch Overtakes FitBit to Become World's No. 1 Wearable

According to a Q1 2017 report from Strategy Analytics, the Apple Watch has overtaken FitBit for the No. 1 spot in the worldwide wearables market.

From the company’s blog:

According to the latest research from our WDE (Wearables) service, global wearables shipments reached 22 million units in the first quarter of 2017. Apple captured 16 percent marketshare and became the world’s largest wearables vendor, overtaking Fitbit.

Global wearables shipments reached 22.0 million units in Q1 2017, rising 21 percent annually from 18.2 million in Q1 2016. Stronger demand for new smartwatch models in North America, Western Europe and Asia drove the uptick.

1. APPLE shipped 3.5 million wearables worldwide in Q1 2017, rising 59 percent annually from 2.2 million units in Q1 2016. Apple captured 16 percent global marketshare and overtook Fitbit to become the world’s largest wearables vendor. The new Apple Watch Series 2 is selling relatively well in the US, UK and elsewhere, due to enhanced styling, intensive marketing and a good retail presence.

2. XIAOMI shipped 3.4 million wearables for 15 percent marketshare worldwide in Q1 2017. Demand for its popular Mi Band fitness range was broadly flat across its core markets of Asia

3. FITBIT shipped 2.9 million wearables worldwide in Q1 2017, falling a huge 36 percent annually from 4.5 million in Q1 2016. Fitbit has lost its wearables leadership to Apple, due to slowing demand for its fitnessbands and a late entry to the emerging smartwatch market. Fitbit’s shipments, revenue, pricing and profit are all shrinking at the moment and the company has a major fight on its hands to recover this year.

Does this surprise anyone? Actually, it surprises me a little bit. In my peer group, very few people have Apple Watches or even want them. Many of them have FitBits and go out of their way to tell me about how that FitBit has everything they need. I know that the Apple Watch is more popular in some parts of the country and the world than others. But I just don’t see that many Apple Watches in the wild, even when I travel. I see many more FitBits in my circles, so it is surprising that the Apple Watch is No.1 over FitBit.

You can read the full report here.