Cellular Smartwatches Seen Leading Wearables Revival, Including for Apple
The smartwatch market is poised for a second-half spike, driven by cellular-enabled smartwatches, Canalys Research reported Thursday. The researcher forecasts 12 million cellular-based smartwatches will ship worldwide by year-end, and it expects the next Apple Watch, reported to include cellular…
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capabilities, to establish the company as the catalyst of category growth. Apple didn’t comment. Worldwide wearable band sales grew 8 percent year on year in Q2, led by Xiaomi's 3.5 million shipments, followed by Fitbit's 3.3 million units (see 1708030061), with Apple, whose only wearables are smartwatches, dropping to No. 3 at 2.7 million Apple Watches. Early hype of the smartwatch was “short-lived” and the market has to focus on compelling uses, said analyst Mo Jia. Apple can use its strong relationships with carriers to create “critical points of sale” for cellular smartwatches and related services, along with its own stores, said analyst Jason Low. ABI Research, meanwhile, reports revenue from smartwatches, smart glasses and wearable scanners to top $60 billion in 2022, up from $10.6 billion this year.