Since its launch Apple Watch reigns virtually unchallenged in the smartwatch market. The product is particularly successful, although it requires necessarily owning an iPhone or iPad to operate. Even with this size constraint - after all the market share of the iPhone on the entire smartphone market is only 14% - the Apple Watch manages to match the bulk of smartwatch sales. A fact reinforced by the fact that connected watches struggle to find takers to owners of Android. There is, however, in this section of the market a largely untapped potential.
Fitbit boosts its market share by 10% at the expense of the Apple Watch
And so it is reassuring to finally see the market share of the Apple Watch decline in favor of competitors. According to the latest figures from Strategy Analytics, Apple Watch still accounted for 50% of market share in 2018. But as impressive as it is, this figure is down in 2018 - by 10%. But this year's competition figures are particularly interesting. First, because the sector is growing strongly, with year-on-year growth of 56% in 2018 compared to 39% in 2017. But also because we learn that Samsung is no longer the number two in terms of sales. or market share.
Fitbit has taken its place "OKLM" if you pass the phrase: the firm's market shares have grown dramatically, from 1.7% in 2017 to 12.2% in 2018. Year in which the firm which was initially only on the segment of connected bracelets, managed to sell some 200,000 more smartwatches in the world than Samsung. At the same time, its Korean competitor has increased its market share by only a modest 1%. A figure that is expected nevertheless significantly higher next year with the Galaxy Watch Active more affordable.
The other competitors all, or almost all, yielded one or more points. The good numbers of Fitbit seem to be attributable to two products in particular: the Fitbit Ionic launched in September 2017 and the Fitbit Versa launched in April 2018. Two smartwatches under FitbitOS, an operating system for connected watches competing with Android Wear and which has its own application store open to developers. In all Apple, Fitbit, Samsung and Garmin represent 80% of the market. A growing interest of Android users could nevertheless change the game and allow more competitors to break through.
