In the final quarter of 2017, Apple products accounted for nearly 61 percent of all shipments in the global smartwatch market, with the company’s biggest competitor, Samsung, only securing around 8.4 percent of the market share. Although the other vendors have caught up in more recent quarters, Apple’s market share still amounted to a dominating 51 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Smartwatches

In addition to its status as the biggest smartwatch vendor in terms of market share, Apple also produces the most recognizable smartwatch product in the space, with around half of all U.S. consumers being familiar with the company’s Apple Watch products. Despite the “watch” moniker, these consumer electronics do much more than simply telling the time. Many smartwatches include apps, GPS, and heart rate monitors. According to U.S. users, the most important smartwatch applications generally deal with fitness/health, communication, and maps.

Wearables

The smartwatch market falls under the broader “wearables” category, which includes everything from smartwatches, to fitness trackers, to smart fabric. Considering the wearables market as a whole, Apple remains the strongest brand in terms of shipment share, but faces significant competition from brands like Xiaomi, Huawei, Fitbit, and Samsung.