Here's Why The Apple Watch Is A Quiet Success

You might want to rethink your position if you still think the Apple Watch is a flop.

- Kenny Yeo

There are some who still think of the Apple Watch as a failure, and that Apple’s refusal to share sales numbers confirm that. However, there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that the Apple Watch has been a sleeper hit.

While Apple hasn’t revealed exact shares numbers, they have shared some stats and we have managed to learn much from them. During the Apple Watch Series 3 announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple has surpassed Rolex in terms of sales to be the number one watch brand in the world. Furthermore, Cook also mentioned that in Q2 2017, the growth of Apple Watch was up 50 percent year over-year.

Earlier this year, Cook boasted that demand for the Apple Watch was so strong during the holiday quarter that Apple couldn’t make enough Apple Watches.

Market research firm Canalys estimated that Apple sold around six million watches during the holiday season and that generated over US$2.6 billion in revenue for the company. This would amount to nearly 80 percent of the smartwatch market for that particular quarter.

Another market research firm, Strategy Analytics, estimated that Apple shipped around 11.6 million watches for the whole of 2016, putting them comfortably in first place as the best-selling smartwatch. They also believe that Apple has a smartwatch market share of around 55 percent, making them the runaway leader in this category.

Comparing sales of the Apple Watch to Apple’s other devices like the iPhone and iPad would be missing the point. A watch isn’t a necessity like a phone is. Heck, look around you, how many people even wear a watch these days?