Global Smartwatch Shipments Outpaced Swiss Watches in Q4 for First Time, Says Report
Global smartwatch shipments reached 8.1 million units in 2015's holiday quarter, compared with 7.9 million shipments of traditional Swiss watches, Strategy Analytics said in a report. It was the first time that smartwatches outshipped Swiss watches on a global basis,…
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said the research firm. Smartwatch shipments jumped 315 percent in Q4 compared with a 4.8 percent decline in traditional Swiss watches, it said. Smartwatch sales are growing rapidly in North America, Western Europe and Asia, it said. “Apple Watch captured an impressive 63 percent share of the global smartwatch market in Q4 2015, followed by Samsung with 16 percent.” Apple and Samsung together account for a “commanding” 80 percent share of all smartwatches shipped worldwide, it said. “The Swiss watch industry has been very slow to react to the development of smartwatches. The Swiss watch industry has been sticking its head in the sand and hoping smartwatches will go away.”