Apple Watch Sales Make Apple The World’s ‘Top Wearable Company’

Despite the device not meeting some analyst’s expectations, the Apple Watch has shifted so many units that Apple is now the biggest selling wearable manufacturer in the world, according to new figures from Canalys.

The analyst firm found that 4.2 million Apple Watch units were sold in the second quarter of 2015, meaning that Apple “easily overtook” the likes of Fitbit and Xiaomi to become the biggest player in the smartwatch market.

This follows estimated sales of around seven million units in the first quarter, as consumers flocked to the latest Apple device in spite of its “significantly higher pricing”.

Top of the pile

“The Apple Watch is the most sophisticated smart watch to date, and it has proved popular with Apple fans worldwide,” said Chris Jones, principal analyst at Canalys.

“But Apple and other vendors still face important challenges to make the smart watch a breakout hit. Improvements in performance, battery life and sensor integration are needed to make future models more attractive, but it is the quality of third-party apps that will determine whether the Apple Watch will be a long-term success.”

Canalys singled out the “excellent job” Apple did in “quickly and comprehensively” designing its WatchKit SDK, with Native WatchKit extensions providing, “a capable developer platform without sacrificing battery life”.

The success of the initial Apple Watch has inevitably led to speculation that a second generation device will be arriving soon. Rumoured to be launching next year, and will be more independent from iPhones, feature improved battery life, and come with a range of software updates – including FaceTime, according to reports.

Apple is set to officially announce its next set of results tomorrow, so we should have a concrete idea of exact sales figures then.

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