While the Apple Watch has proved popular since the first one dropped in 2015, the tech giant’s smartwatch has seen declining sales more recently.
According to new data from Counterpoint Research, Apple’s smartwatch shipments declined a not insignificant 19% year-on-year in 2024, with the device brand experiencing declines in all regions except India.
Counterpoint notes that the global fall in Apple Watch sales was mainly driven by a drop in sales in the North America, which represents more than half of Apple’s smartwatch shipments.
Notably, this was the second year in a row that Apple Watch sales suffered a decline. Indeed, the final quarter of 2024 was the fifth consecutive quarter that Apple’s smartwatch shipments fell, in stark contrast to other major makers of smartwatches, which all experienced growth.
So, why is Apple having issues getting the Apple Watch out of stores and onto people’s wrists? According to Counterpoint analyst Balbir Singh, the overall decline in 2024 was down to a number of reasons, including a lack of significant upgrades to the Watch Series 10, which launched last fall.
Singh also noted that Apple did not introduce a Watch Ultra 3 or a new Watch SE at last year’s smartwatch launch event, which would have likely boosted sales.
The Apple Watch Ultra is the company’s premium Apple Watch and was last refreshed in 2023, while the most affordable option, the SE, was last updated in 2022.
Another reason for declining sales could be that Apple’s smartwatches cost more than a lot of the competing devices on the market, some of which offer a decent range of features.
“To make a comeback in 2025 and retain its market share,” Singh said, “Apple needs to focus on a few things, including the introduction of new features, launch of [new] Watch SE and Watch Ultra models, and possible design upgrades.”
A number of reports and leaks indicate that both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3 could arrive in September alongside the Series 11. If that’s the case, 2025 might be the year that Apple Watch sales tick back up again.
Apple declines to share official, detailed sales data for the Apple Watch in its financial reports. Instead, Apple groups Apple Watch sales under its “Wearables, Home and Accessories” category, so only third-party estimates are available for specific Apple Watch unit sales.
A number of research firms — Counterpoint among them — use a mix of consumer surveys, market analysis, and channel data to generate estimates in the absence of official sales figures from Apple.