When it was launched in April 2015, the Apple Watch took a while to find its place in the market. Initially, Apple positioned the product as a piece of jewelry, with models wearing the Apple Watch appearing on the covers of prestigious fashion magazines.
However, as stories of Apple Watch health features saving lives began to spread, Apple promoted the device as a health tool.
By September 2017, the Apple Watch had become the world's most popular watch, as well as the best-selling smartwatch.
However, Apple's lead in the wearables market is now gone. According to IDC's Worldwide Wearables Quarterly Tracker, Apple has been surpassed by Huawei. In the first three quarters of 2024, Huawei shipped 23.6 million wearables, an impressive 44.2% year-over-year growth.
What makes Huawei’s number one position so surprising is that the company is under severe sanctions from the US. However, thanks to its strong smartwatch lineup, Huawei has seen tremendous growth in the first quarters of 2024. In contrast, Apple recorded a 12.8% decline in the same period, shipping just 22.5 million wearables.
While Apple regained the top spot in Q3 2024 thanks to the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10, that couldn't overshadow Huawei's incredible performance in all three quarters. Some of Huawei's notable watches in Q3 2024 included the D2 - the second generation of its blood pressure monitor - along with the GT5 and GT5 Pro.
