The smartwatch market globally is expected to witness a
boost in the second half of 2017, according to a Canalys report. The analyst
company predicts that Apple will secure a prominent position thanks to its
upcoming cellular-enabled smartwatch.
The smartwatch market globally is expected to witness a
boost in the second half of 2017, according to a Canalys report. The analyst
company predicts that Apple will secure a prominent position thanks to its
upcoming cellular-enabled smartwatch. The report points out that the total
worldwide wearable band market grew 8 per cent year on year in Q2 2017.
Xiaomi led the worldwide smartwatch market as the company
shipped 3.5 million units. The Chinese vendor was followed by Fitbit with
shipments of 3.3 million units. The third place was bagged by Apple which
shipped 2.7 million Apple Watch units. Canalys attributes Xiaomi’s success to
its expansion of availability in APAC and EMEA.
Canalys predicts that boost in smartwatch market will be
largely driven by cellular-enabled smartwatches. About 12 million units of
these devices are expected to ship by the end of the year. Thanks to calling
capabilities, the sales of premium LTE-enabled smartwatches in China are
expected to grow rapidly.
“The hype surrounding smartwatches has been short-lived and
the market must now focus on compelling use cases to stimulate demand. Vendors
in China, including Xiaotiancai and 360, have released Android-based
smartwatches running on LTE networks, enabling parents to keep tabs on their
children,” said Canalys Research Analyst Mo Jia. “The arrival of the new
Snapdragon Wear chipsets from Qualcomm has prompted vendors to improve their
wearable band offerings,” Jia added.
“Apple is poised to capture the cellular smartwatch market
by using its strong relationships with operators, which will become critical
points of sale for cellular smartwatches and related services,” said Canalys
Analyst Jason Low. “Apple is the industry leader in allowing consumers to
experience the different Apple Watch styles and functionalities in-store. It is
crucial for Apple Stores and Apple’s offline retail partners to adapt quickly
to effectively showcase new cellular-enabled use cases as soon as products are
available.” Low added.
