• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechThe Mobile Executive

Apple Watch’s Losses Are Samsung’s Gains in the Smartwatch Business

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 21, 2016, 2:20 PM ET

It was a rough second quarter for Apple Watch, new data from research firm IDC shows.

Apple’s worldwide smartwatch shipments plummeted by 55% in the second quarter, falling to 1.6 million units, down from 3.6 million in the prior year, new data from IDC claims. Apple Watch, however, was still able to nab the largest chunk of the smartwatch market, earning 47% of the share.

Notably, Apple (AAPL) was the only company in the top five smartwatch makers to see a year-over-year decline. Samsung, which captured 16% of the market, saw its shipments grow by 51% year-over-year. China-based Lenovo’s smartwatch shipments rose by 75% to help 300,000 units shipped. In general, however, it was a rough second quarter for the smartwatch industry as total shipments fell by 32% from 5.1 million last year to 3.5 million this year.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

To be fair, Apple had a tough comparison in the second quarter. The company launched the Apple Watch on April 24, 2015, giving it more than enough time to attract early adopters during the second quarter of 2015. So far this year, Apple hasn’t launched a new Apple Watch iteration and has only stuck to new bands. It’s possible, therefore, that customers are simply waiting for whatever Apple has planned next.

 

“Consumers have held off on smartwatch purchases since early 2016 in anticipation of a hardware refresh, and improvements in WatchOS are not expected until later this year, effectively stalling existing Apple Watch sales,” Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, said in a statement.

Still, it’s hard not to take a negative tone when evaluating Apple against the market. Samsung is coming on strong and according to IDC, its Gear S2 lineup of devices is “off to a great start.” Other companies that have launched new hardware recently, like LG, are also seeing a bump. However, at least for now, Apple ultimately carries the market and decides its fate.

“Apple still maintains a significant lead in the market and unfortunately a decline for Apple leads to a decline in the entire market,” Ubrani said in a statement.

IDC’s findings come from data it collects in more than 100 countries across the globe. However, what it doesn’t have is actual Apple Watch sales figures. While the research firm can use its data to forecast actual shipments, Apple has stubbornly decided against sharing Apple Watch sales figures and has argued that doing so could give competitors an advantage. That has left market researchers like IDC and analysts to only estimate what Apple has sold so far.

Looking ahead, IDC’s Ubrani doesn’t sound convinced that things will turn around for the smartwatch market anytime soon. He said that all smartwatch vendors will face “challenges related to fashion and functionality,” and by the end of the year, he expected the market’s growth to be “muted.”

For more about Apple’s iPhone, watch:

But there is one silver lining for Apple: In addition to being the biggest smartwatch maker in the world, last week, J.D. Power revealed that it has achieved the highest satisfaction among smartwatch vendors, topping Samsung.

So, while things might have been tough in the second quarter, its existing owners still seem to like what they have.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

From wool sneakers to GPUs: Allbirds’ desperate AI pivot and 600% stock surge, explained
AIRetail
From wool sneakers to GPUs: Allbirds’ desperate AI pivot and 600% stock surge, explained
By Phil WahbaApril 15, 2026
8 hours ago
Pause AI and Stop AI: Meet the anti-AI groups facing questions after the attack on Sam Altman
AIOpenAI
Pause AI and Stop AI: Meet the anti-AI groups facing questions after the attack on Sam Altman
By Sharon GoldmanApril 15, 2026
8 hours ago
Woman drinking coffee
AIConsumers
Starbucks wants you to ask ChatGPT about what coffee to get, right as America boils over with AI backlash vibes
By Tristan BoveApril 15, 2026
9 hours ago
The Bezos-Musk space rivalry is shooting for the moon, and the winner will dominate not just the cosmos—but the future of AI infrastructure
AIAerospace
The Bezos-Musk space rivalry is shooting for the moon, and the winner will dominate not just the cosmos—but the future of AI infrastructure
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 15, 2026
10 hours ago
A sign hangs on the front door of a shuttered Allbirds store on April 02, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
AIRetail
Allbirds ditches sneaker business to pivot to AI compute, stock surges over 700%
By Eva RoytburgApril 15, 2026
10 hours ago
Sal Khan
SuccessEducation
This CEO has teamed up with Google, Microsoft, and McKinsey to build an AI degree that could rival Harvard—and it will cost only $10,000 to attend
By Preston ForeApril 15, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Fortune EditorsApril 15, 2026
14 hours ago
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a college, she's just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
Success
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a college, she's just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
By Fortune EditorsApril 13, 2026
3 days ago
Palantir CEO says working at his $316 billion software company is better than a degree from Harvard or Yale: ‘No one cares about the other stuff’
Success
Palantir CEO says working at his $316 billion software company is better than a degree from Harvard or Yale: ‘No one cares about the other stuff’
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
2 days ago
Economists warned California not to raise the minimum wage to $20. They were wrong in almost every way so far, another economist says
Economy
Economists warned California not to raise the minimum wage to $20. They were wrong in almost every way so far, another economist says
By Fortune EditorsApril 15, 2026
18 hours ago
Current price of oil as of April 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 15, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 15, 2026
16 hours ago
The billionaire Anthropic cofounder who majored in literature says knowing how to ask the right questions beats knowing how to code
Success
The billionaire Anthropic cofounder who majored in literature says knowing how to ask the right questions beats knowing how to code
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.