This week is a week of results. It took the number one spot in the smartphone market in India, moved up to number three in Russia and now sits in second place behind Apple in the world portable gadget rankings. Yooooo close :)
Apple currently holds the throne on this list as early as the second quarter of this year. But it wasn't always the case, with Xiaomi and Fitbit temporarily taking the throne in the second quarter of 2017, relegating the smartwatch to third place. Since then, the 'order' has been restored and the list has remained unchanged for the penultimate quarter of the year, with Apple first with 3.9 million, Xiaomi second with 3.6 million and Fitbit bronze with 3.5 million wearables shipped.
In terms of market share, Apple is in the top three with 23%, while Xiaomi and Fitbit are in the top three with 21% and 20% respectively. Huawei and Samsung, who are ranked fourth and fifth respectively, account for 6% and 5% of the wearable market share, with the rest being other brands.
Apple reported its strongest performance in the third quarter with the release of the LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3. However, the LTE version did not live up to its full potential in Q3 as demand was much more than availability, so the smartwatch is expected to secure another solid spot in Q4.
Looking at the result, Apple has no reason to sit still, because Xiaomi is very close. Xiaomi is known for its ability to double or even triple its performance even quarter on quarter as it recently became India's number one smartphone brand. So the results for the last quarter of 2017 may be different from what we have now. We will find out in January whether there will be a dethronement and whether Xiaomi's conquest was a success in 2017!
