Waiting for new models: Apple Watch sales down
Apple's watch sales are said to have fallen by a significant double-digit percentage in 2024. The Series 10 apparently attracted fewer customers.
Apple Watch Series 10: Thinner and with a larger screen, but was that enough?
(Image: Apple)
Apple's latest Apple Watch models appear to have met with limited demand from customers: sales apparently fell both last year and in the last quarter. This is evident from Apple's own statements as well as figures from the market research company Counterpoint Research. As part of its "Global Smartwatch Shipment Tracker", the analysis company stated that shipments of Apple Watch units fell by 19 percent in the full year 2024 compared to the previous year 2023. According to Counterpoint, this is the second year in a row with a decline. Apple itself reported a 5 percent decline in sales in the accessories and wearables segment in its most recent quarterly figures, but did not list the Apple Watch individually.
Lack of innovations – no revised SE model
Counterpoint Research blames the lack of innovations in the Apple Watch division for the decline in deliveries. Although the Series 10 came with a larger screen and thinner casing in September, it did not have any new sensors apart from the new sleep apnea tracking function (which other models also received via an update). At the same time, Apple had only added a new color to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but otherwise left the model completely unchanged.
Apple must deliver "new models and significant upgrades" to revitalize the market, according to the analysts. At the same time, there is more and more competition. The blood oxygen function, which continues to be turned off in the USA, could also have a negative impact on business. In addition, the Group did not launch a new entry-level SE model on the market last year. The last SE was released in the third quarter of 2022, and no new plastic models were launched despite rumors to this effect.
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Ultra falls in market share
Due to the lack of an Ultra 3, the overall share of sales of the more expensive computer watch is also said to have fallen. Instead of 10 percent as before, the share of Apple Watch sales in the fourth quarter of 2024 was only 8 percent. Nevertheless, Apple remains the dominant provider in the advanced smartwatch segment, i.e. the more advanced and more expensive computer watches. However, overall sales had already shrunk by 10 percent in 2023.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 are now expected to include improved wireless technology, possibly with 5G and satellite usage. In addition, a blood pressure measurement function is still on Apple's agenda, even if this may be postponed again.
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