Apple Watch to Ship 15 Million Units Worldwide in 2015

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, the Apple Watch smartwatch will ship 15 million units worldwide in 2015. Apple will quickly become the world’s number one smartwatch vendor with 55 percent global marketshare this year.

Cliff Raskind, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “We forecast total global smartwatch shipments to grow 511 percent from 4.6 million units in 2014 to 28.1 million units in 2015. Most of the smartwatch growth will come from the new Apple Watch, which we forecast to ship 15.4 million units worldwide in 2015. Apple will quickly become the world’s number one smartwatch vendor and capture 55 percent global marketshare this year.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “The Apple Watch is the catalyst to ignite the global smartwatch market. Apple’s famous brand, loyal fan base, deep retail presence and extensive apps ecosystem will ensure healthy uptake for its Watch. However, Apple’s first-generation Watch is not yet perfect. For example, Apple’s Watch hardware design is arguably less attractive than some rival models such as the Huawei Watch, battery life may not be as long as many traditional wristwatch owners are used to, and Apple’s premium pricing may be challenging for mass-market consumers. Apple will need to upgrade tangibly its second-generation Watch to stay ahead of competitors later this year.”

Exhibit 1: Global Smartwatch Shipments Forecast by Vendor in 2015 1

The full report, Global Smartwatch Sales Forecast for 88 Countries, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wearable Device Ecosystem (WDE) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/o3blf48.