The Apple Watch is considered one of the lush pieces one can get in the market but at a hefty price. However, the presence of alternative and cheaper watches may have just pushed Apple down the line.
Research firm IDC recently released the state of the wearables market. And as one would guess, Apple is not among the leaders. Rather, there were other players in the lead such as Fitbit (23%) and Xiaomi (16%), Apple Insider reported.
The Apple Watch holds 4.9 percent of the market, close to Samsung who had 4.5% for both fitness bands and smartwatches. So what has happened to Apple’s wearable?
It would b best to note that the wearables market has implemented new features which Apple may be lacking. There is also the angle of price which has pushed some to the cheaper brands for as long as they can help out in health tracking and other apps associated with smart wearables to date.
Regardless, CEO Tim Cook commented that Apple has been experiencing record sales with the Apple Watch doing well in the first week of Holiday shopping. Despite the numbers from IDC, critics believe that all these are estimates and miscalculated, Fortune reported.
One thing going against Cook’s claim is that he didn’t actually show off numbers supporting his record-breaking claim. Most are based on context though he has a point that sales for the Apple Watch should pick up this holiday season.
The main issue seen for the Apple Watch is the SRP. With the wearable market still erratic, customers have opted to get the alternative bands which serve the same purpose. The Apple Watch still has its share of demand though most of it are likely the Apple loyalist.
Hence, it all boils down to the price techies are willing to shell out. The Apple Watch is a lush piece to have but if the functionality is the intent – a lot of other wearables will do priced dramatically less.
