Apple overtook Fitbit to become the leading global vendor of wearables in the first three months of the year, selling some 3.5 million Apple Watch devices, according to the latest quarterly data from Strategy Analytics. Worldwide wearables shipments reached 22.0 million units in the first quarter of 2017, up 21 percent from the year-earlier figure of 18.2 million, driven by stronger demand for new smartwatch models in North America, Western Europe and Asia. The 59 percent year on year rise in Apple Watch sales resulted in a 15.9 percent share of the market, with Xiaomi shipping 3.4 million wearables for a 15.5 percent market share thanks above all to demand for its popular Mi Band fitness range.
Fitbit slipped to third position with 2.9 million wearables sales and 13.2 percent of the market. The company plummeted 36 percent annually from the 4.5 million devices it sold in the year-earlier quarter due to slowing demand for its fitness bands and its late entry to the smartwatch market. Fitbit’s shipments, revenue, pricing and profit are shrinking and the company has a huge fight on its hands to recover this year, said the report.
