Global Apple Watch shipments have now been in significant decline for two years, according to a new market intelligence report. The news is made worse by all competing premium smartwatch brands seeing their shipments grow during the same period.
The report lays the blame on fewer reasons to upgrade, suggesting that Apple needs to focus on introducing new features and possibly design changes too …
The Apple Watch was a slow-burn at first as the company tried to find the right positioning for the device, but once it put health and fitness front and center, it has dominated the smartwatch market.
Counterpoint data shows that growth continued through to 2021, with a 27% year-on-year increase in shipments. That ended in 2022, with zero growth – and since then there was a 10% fall in 2023, which almost doubled in 2024 with a further 19% drop.
The firm says that the decline was worldwide, but most notable in the US.
Apple’s smartwatch shipments declined 19% YoY in 2024, according to Counterpoint’s Global Smartwatch Shipment Tracker, Q4 2024. The brand witnessed declines in all regions except India. However, its global decline was mainly driven by the significant decline in the North American market, which contributes more than half of Apple’s smartwatch shipments. 2024 was the second consecutive year to witness a YoY shipment decline.
In the advanced smartwatch segment, Apple’s market share decreased by 8 percentage points YoY in 2024. Q4 2024 was the fifth consecutive quarter to see a decline in Apple’s smartwatch shipments even as all the other major competitors offering advanced smartwatches witnessed growth.
Even the Apple Watch Ultra saw its usual 10%+ share of the market drop to under 8%.
Counterpoint says buyers are simply being offered less reason to upgrade.
The lack of a new SE model weighed most on shipment growth. Fewer upgrades to the latest Watch Series 10, more competition, lack of a new Ultra and legal issues [that is, loss of the blood oxygen feature] also impacted the growth […]
To make a comeback in 2025 and retain its market share, Apple needs to focus on a few things, including the introduction of new features, launch of Watch SE and Watch Ultra models, and possible design upgrades.
Photo by Brandon Romanchuk on Unsplash
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