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After facing strong competition in the 2nd quarter of this year, where Xiaomi took lead on Apple by shipping 3.7 million units of wearable bands, now Apple has regained the top spot in wearable market by shipping 3.9 million units in Q3 2017.
According to the new research data from Canalys, Apple shipped 3.9 million units in Q3 2017, compared to 2.8 million of the previous year. With this increased figure Apple has gained 23 percent of the market share of wearables, slightly ahead of the 21 percent recorded for Xiaomi, which held the number 1 spot for the first time in the previous quarter.
Apple Watch Series 3 LTE which was launched a couple of months ago has been a remarkable success. As estimated by Canalys, the new watch series accounted for 800,000 shipments. However, it could have crossed this mark instead it faced limited availability as demand outstripped supply in major markets.
Apple Watch Series 3 become popular due to its LTE support which will offer faster internet surfing. Apple Watch series 3 comes with Siri support thanks to a new Dual Core processor which according to Apple, is 70% faster than the previous generation.
According to Canalys analyst Jason Low,
“Strong demand for the LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3 has dispelled service providers’ doubts about the cellular smartwatch not appealing to customers.”
The innovative features of Apple’s new watch series have made Apple’s watch more appealing to consumers even though it is more expensive than its competitors. Xiaomi and Fitbit, which shipped 3.6 million and 3.5 million wearable bands respectively, also appear to have bucked the trend of a traditionally weaker Q3 by posting quarter-on-quarter growth.
Huawei and Samsung are also part of the race earning 6% and 5% market share in Q3 2017 respectively. However, these tech giants have focused more on adding value and innovation in their products as compared to Xiaomi.
Apple’s entire wearables business was 75 percent increased year over year in the fourth quarter, according to CEO Tim Cook. In fiscal 2017, it had already generated the annual revenue of a Fortune 400 company.
Apple Watch could increase the sale of the wearable band in 2017 if supplies are able to meet its demand.
