Apple shipped more than 250,000 Apple Watch shipments to Asia excluding China during the second quarter, with the cellular-connected Apple Watch Series 3 being the best-selling smartwatch in the region, according to Canalys.
The research firm noted that the LTE version of the device has been a “runaway success” in the Asian market, and accounted for 60% of Apple Watch shipments in the Asia excluding China region during the quarter.
“Apple's decision to expand internationally with operators has quickly reaped rewards in Asia Pacific,” Canalys senior analyst Jason Lo said.
He noted that since the launch of the Apple Watch Series 3, Apple has formed partnerships with operators in Australia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, India and South Korea. The latter three markets were added in the second quarter.
“Operators in these markets are willing to resell connected devices other than smartphones that can help them generate extra revenue from data services. India is a surprising addition to the list of countries. But this is a good strategy by Airtel and Reliance Jio to retain their high-value customers in a bid to maximize churn in a cut-throat market.”
Canalys meanwhile estimates that global Apple Watch shipments reached 3.5 million during the second quarter, a 30% year-on-year improvement.
But due to strong performances by Fitbit and Garmin among others, total smart watch shipments reached 10 million, reducing Apple's total market share to 34% from 43% in the prior quarter.