Apple Watch Estimated to Reach 100 Million Lifetime Shipments Soon Despite Weaker Demand Last Quarter

Apple Watch continued to lead the smartwatch industry with an estimated 5.2 million shipments worldwide in the first quarter of 2020, well ahead of Huawei, Samsung, Fitbit, and others, according to research firm Canalys.

Canalys said the Apple Watch did see slow performance in North America and Europe during the quarter, however, which it attributes to Apple customers “switching their attention to AirPods as a ‘must-have’ accessory.” Apple’s market share declined to an estimated 36.3 percent for the quarter, down from 46.7 percent in the year-ago quarter.

Huawei trailed in second place with an estimated 2.1 million shipments and 14.9 percent market share for the quarter, followed by Samsung with an estimated 1.8 million shipments and 12.4 percent market share.

Canalys expects lifetime Apple Watch shipments to reach 100 million units within the next few months, five years after the device launched.

Apple does not provide a breakdown of Apple Watch sales in its earnings reports, so take these estimated figures with a proverbial grain of salt. Apple’s “Wearables, Home and Accessories” category did set a new all-time revenue record of $6.3 billion last quarter, including sales of the Apple Watch, AirPods, Beats products, Apple TV, HomePod, iPod touch, and both Apple-branded and third-party accessories.