Smartwatch Shipments Increased 223 Percent In 1st Quarter Of 2016

The total volume of shipments of smartwatch devices around the world have tripled in the first three months of this year. Indeed, according to information provided by market research firm Strategy Analytics just this week, manufacturers of smartwatches have shipped 4.2 million units of these wearable devices during the first quarter of 2016. Certainly not bad -- considering that the 4.2 million units of smartwatch devices shipped across the globe represents a 223 percent increase compared to the 1.3 million units shipped worldwide during the first quarter of 2015. 

Interestingly enough -- Apple, whom many industry watchers are saying is mostly responsible for increasing awareness for wearable devices in general and smartwatches in particular in the last few months, has seen its global market share decline. As a matter of fact, from capturing 63 percent of the worldwide smartwatch market during the final quarter of 2015, the tech giant now commands a 52 percent market share. Sure, this percentage is still more than half of the entire market, but one must wonder how it lost about 11 percentage points in the last three months. Still, it is not as bad as what its iPhone devices are going through right now.

Strategy Analytics, of course, offers a possible explanation. Before Apple first introduced its one and only wearable device (so far), the Apple Watch, back in April 2015, consumers in general still did not think much of smartwatches. But when the Apple Watch hit the market, a lot of people suddenly wanted one for themselves, even if some of them actually really wanted to be part of a new trend.

The way Strategy Analytics sees it, it looks like the honeymoon period is over. Fast forwarding to April 2016, industry watchers are now saying that people are just not into the Apple Watch anymore, or more accurately, not as much as before. Still, it is not game over yet for Apple. After all, the company is yet to release the Apple Watch 2, or whatever its next iteration of its smartwatch offering will be called, perhaps before the end of this year. 

The trick is now paving the way for compelling mobile apps that are not only optimized for the Apple Watch, but also actually make the wearable device more useful than ever before. One reason people are not buying smartwatches in droves is the simple fact that these devices are just not that useful yet on a daily basis, except maybe for fitness enthusiasts, or some fashionistas out there.