Smartwatch sales surpass Swiss watches, Apple Watch leads the way

Smartwatch sales have surpassed Swiss watches for the first time, and you have Apple to thank.

According to a report by Strategy Analytics, 8.1 million smartwatches were shipped in Q4 of 2015 compared to 7.9 million Swiss watches.

Out of the 8.1 million, 5.1 million were Apple Watches with 63% share, 1.3 million were the various Samsung smartwatches with 16 percent share, and the rest were from other manufacturers, such as Pebble.

Compared to Q4 2014, smartwatches saw an increase of 316% in one year. The only difference between 2014 and 2015 being, you guessed it, the release of the Apple Watch.

We are now seeing watchmakers such as Tag Heuer, and Fossil starting to dip their toes in the smartwatch waters. While overall smartwatch numbers may be up, it's important to note that it's mostly the Apple Watch that's holding the entire segment up on its shoulders. It will be a while before we know if people are interested in smartwatches or just the Apple Watch. And it will be even longer before we see the demise of mechanical watches.

Source • Via