Smart watch shipments in the third quarter were 2.7 million units

According to foreign media reports, the industry has released the market status of smart watches. The analyst's data showed the exact opposite. According to market research firm IDC, global smartwatch shipments fell 50% year-on-year in the third quarter, while its rival rival, Canalys, noted that smartwatch shipments rose 60% over the same period.

According to IDC's report, shipments of smart watches in the third quarter were 2.7 million units, down 50% from 5.6 million units in the third quarter of 2015, while Canalys believes that smart watch shipments were 6.1 million units during the same period. It rose by 60% year-on-year.

But both companies believe that Apple Watch is the best-selling product in smart watches, Canalys said it accounts for 46% of total shipments, while IDC believes it is 41%. Regarding the shipment ranking of smart watch brands, the two companies are different. Canalys lists Samsung (18%), Fitbit (17%), Garmin (3%) and Pebble (2%). The market share rankings listed by IDC are Garmin (21%), Samsung (14%), Lenovo and Pebble (3% each).

According to its market research data, IDC believes that smart watches are “not suitable for everyone” and the market is wired. But Canalys doesn't agree with it. Because the company believes that the upcoming holiday shopping season and Apple's second-generation smart watches will have a positive impact on the market. But both companies believe that the information disclosure of Apple's second-generation smartwatch and the major update of the iPhone 7 phone will affect the sales of Apple's smart watch in the third quarter of 2016.

Canalys market analyst Jason Low pointed out that "the iPhone's growth momentum has already affected consumers' interest in Apple's smart watches. Therefore, the company needs to increase sales of smart watches in major markets outside the US, especially in China."

Jason Low and his colleagues found that although the Google Andriod Wear 2.0 and Samsung Gear S3 time-to-market have been delayed, the Chinese smart watch market grew by 42%. This is mainly due to the low-cost smart watches launched by Xiaomi partner Huami, which starts at $120 and is favored by more consumers.

At the same time, the Canalys report also pointed out that wearable fitness equipment shipments increased by 18% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2016, reaching 11.5 million units.

The company said, "With smart watches, total wearables shipments reached 17.6 million units, which means the wearable device market is growing at an annual rate of 31%."