Apple Watch Sales Drop 63 per cent Following Holidays
- Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
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Sales of the Apple Watch are estimated to have dropped by over 63 per cent in Q1 2016, with the initial rush for the new technology and the retail boost from the holiday season ending, and enthusiasm for Apples latest device drastically dropping as a result.
Apple doesnt typically reveal sales figures for the Apple Watch, unlike the iPhone, iPad and Macbook lines, but wearable estimates from industry research group IDC, who are frequently cited by Apple executives, suggest that sales for the smartwatch dropped from 4.1m in Q4 2015 to 1.5m, a 63.41 per cent dip quarter-to-quarter.
The Apple Watch went on sale in April last year, and while Apple hasnt released a new version of the device, it has attempted to keep the line refreshed with new bands and software for its smartwatch, as well as dropping the entry-level price recently to $299 (£206).
The Apple Watch is still the best-selling smartwatch in the world, selling more than twice what similar devices from Google and Samsung managed, according to IDCs estimates, but simpler wearables like fitness trackers outpace it. Xioamis fitness trackers, which are sold almost exclusively in China, shot past Apples sales in Q1, with 3.7m sales and 41 per cent year-on-year growth.
In Apples most recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that, for the forseeable future, the Apple Watch would likely follow the iPods seasonal model, generating upwards of 40 per cent of its annual sales during the holiday period.