Apple’s Apple Watch continued to be the top dog in the North American wearables market during the second quarter of 2020, says a new report by Canalys.
The Apple Watch Series 5 was America’s best-selling smartwatch, matching last year’s leader, the Apple Watch Series 4, for shipments. Demand for the Apple Watch Series 3 also grew by 30%.
While the shipments of wearables grew 10% in the North American market in Q2 2020, the value of the market remained flat year-over-year. Low-end activity tracker shipments boomed, meaning the average selling price of a wearable dropped by 11%, down to $235. That surge offset the third consecutive decline in smartwatch shipments.
Canalys Analyst Vincent Thielke commented, “Americans invested heavily in sub-US$50 trackers during the pandemic to stay accountable for the greater amount of time spent at home. Amazon’s Q3 introduction of the Halo tracker was timely, following two back-to-back quarters of strong activity tracker sales. Subscription-based companion apps helped Fitbit and less-familiar players like Whoop better differentiate themselves against the vast array of devices sold online. Turnkey service offerings proved a surprising pandemic winner as social distancing discouraged personal trainers and exercising in close proximity to others.”
North America was one of only two regions to show sustained wearables demand among consumers, with quarter-on-quarter growth.
Canalyst predicts that in 2021, medical-oriented devices will move certain products into an elevated tier, creating stronger differentiation between casual fitness and advanced health tracking. The upcoming Apple Watch Series 6 could be a part of this move, as it is expected to offer new health-tracking features, including blood oxygen monitoring.
