Apple, which is the world’s largest technology company, has now regained its spot as the world’s largest wearable manufacturer according to a new report by the research firm Canalys. The company reclaimed its spot from Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi in the most recent quarter, with Fitbit, Huawei, and Samsung rounding out the top five wearable manufacturers.
During its last quarterly conference call, Apple announced that sales of its wearable products, including Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats, were up 75 percent year-over-year for the quarter. The sheer size of Apple’s wearable business alone would make it a Fortune 400 company.
In terms of the Apple Watch, the company did not release precise sales numbers but did note that its sales were up over 50 percent year-over year for the quarter. However, a new report from the research firm Canalys sheds some light on the number of Apple Watch sales.
Canalys estimates that Apple sold 3.9 million Apple Watches last quarter, with a sizable portion of those sales coming from the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular model.
While Apple Watch sales increased overall in the third quarter, sales of the S3 GPS + Cellular model were especially remarkable. Sales of the S3 GPS + Cellular accounted for nearly a quarter of overall Apple Watch sales. Even with only a few weeks of availability in the quarter, Apple sold 800,000 S3 GPS + Cellular watches.
The demand for the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular surprised many carriers and retailers. While some providers doubted the appeal of a cellular watch to consumers, sales of the S3 GPS + Cellular far exceeded expectations. In fact Canalys believes sales of this model did not reach their full potential in the quarter because limited availability due to retailers and carriers underestimating demand for the product.
Fourth quarter sales of the Apple Watch are expected to be even stronger compared to last year. Improvements to design and functionality are driving demand for Apple’s wearables. Canalys believes that better health tracking options, longer battery life, and, of course, the apparently very popular feature of cellular service will continue to increase the value and desirability of the Apple Watch to consumers moving forward.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.