A market analysis report shows that when comparing the myriad of smartwatches and wearables on the market, it was the Apple Watch that dominated the past year.
Canalys, an independent analyst company, delivered its smartwatch report for 2015, and figures show that Apple not only outclassed its rivals, but its own sales predictions, as well.
According to the report, 12 million smartwatches from Apple reached their buyers during 2015. That is 5 million more than the initial prediction of 7 million Apple Watch units in November 2015. The market analysis company identifies the reason for the surge in demand.
"Cashing in on holiday sales, Apple managed to rack up over 5 million shipments in the fourth quarter," analyst Jason Low says.
The number of smartwatches purchased last year was about 18 million, meaning that Apple got 66 percent of the market with its 12 million sold devices. To make the iPhone developer even more badass, know that Apple Watch entered the arena in April 2015, with a four month delay behind other manufacturers which rolled out their smartwatches as early as January.
The runner-ups for the best sold smartwatch came from Samsung, Pebble and Huawei. The Gear 2 fared better in sales than its previous variants, keeping Samsung in the second place. Third position went to Pebble, and fourth to Huawei.
A notable mention goes to Huawei, which sports the only Android Wear device from the list.
In the final quarter of 2015, Apple shipped over 300,000 smartwatch units, according to Canalys. In comparison, Pebble shipped over 200,000 smartwatches during the same time frame and it got a sales boost due to the launch of its Pebble Time Steel.
It would have been interesting to see more numbers from the three companies, but Canalys only showed Apple's figures.
Not long ago, Gartner Research published a report saying that it expects smartwatch purchases in 2016 to top 50 million pieces. Assuming that Apple will keep its two-thirds of the market margin, this means that the company will ship a whopping 33 million smartwatches until Dec. 31.
However, Apple might see strong competition in 2016 from brands such as Fossil and Tag Heuer, both of which plan to roll out their own smartwatch products until the year's end.
Data from other market research entities confirm Canalys' conclusion regarding Apple's dominance in smartwatch sells for 2015.
For example, International Data Corporation predicted that Apple Watch would rule the market with a 61.3 percent market share. That is rather close to the 66 percent presented by Canalys.
"The smartwatch is now a category waiting for a market ... it is now up to consumers to decide if they want them, rather than technology companies providing more reasons," an analyst at Juniper Research, James Moar, said.
Canalys looked into the number or fitness trackers sold last year, as well. The total number of basic bands sold was more than 37 million units, with Fitbit leading the pack by a long shot. The second most popular fitness tracker is the Mi Band, which brought 12 million purchases in Xiaomi's courtyard during the past year.
It remains to be seen whether or not the new Apple Watch models set to launch in March, and the Apple Watch 2, rumored to arrive this September, would be able to keep the company's sales as high as last year.
