Apple Watch shipments are expected to hit 15 million units in 2017, and jump to 20 million next year. With the Apple Watch Series 3 reportedly shipping this year, fourth quarter numbers are expected to hit 4.5 million, too.
Since Apple doesn’t share Apple Watch sales and shipment numbers, the estimates are coming from parts suppliers. They also say Compal Electronics and Quanta will build the Apple Watch Series 3 for Apple, according to DigiTimes.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said relying on supply chain information is a bad way to predict what the company is doing. That said, Apple’s tight lipped policy on Apple Watch sales means everyone relies on other sources to learn what they can about the company’s smartwatch numbers.
The Apple Watch overtook Fitbit as the top selling wearable fitness tracker earlier this year based on data from Strategy Analytics. According to their research, Apple Watch outsold Fitbit during the first quarter of 2017, giving Apple almost 16% of the wearables market.
That still doesn’t mean Apple is going to start sharing Apple Watch sales figures. Instead, it means we have several data points saying Apple Watch sales are on the rise. Assuming the supply chain sources are right, too, it also means Apple expects it’s going to start selling even more smartwatches.
I’ll admit it, I was wrong about Apple Watch. Enough clones bought them to make me eat my words. I figured a few million sales maybe – NOT 17 or 18 mil. First I was wrong that people actually would want to hang watches on their wrists again and I was wrong about how many Apple watches at that exorbitant price were moved considering it’s a gimmick and not certified for any medical uses – they smell lawsuits obviously. Again, Apple has successfully ran a “me too” late to the party campaign and made a significant dent in the market. Well done. d:D