Why Apple Watch Sales are Dying and why Google Android, Pebble need to follow Garmin's lead

“It has also become evident that at present smartwatches are not for everyone. Having a clear purpose and use case is paramount, hence many vendors are focusing on fitness due to its simplicity”

Senior Research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, Jitesh Ubrani, commenting on why smartwatch sales are dying off

Smartwatches are dying...or at least interest in them is, thanks to industry complacency.

According to market intelligence firm IDC report, sales are way down as noted in the article “No One Is Buying Smartwatches Anymore”, published 24 October 2016 by Christina Warren, Gizmodo. 

The IDC figures year-over-year for the third quarter of 2016 are really bad:

1.      51.6% decline in smartwatch shipments

2.      71.6% decline in Apple Watch shipments

Apple, which has 41.3% of the market, has fared the worst of the smartwatch vendors based on figures year-over-year for the third quarter of 2016:

1.      1.1 million Apple Watches shipped

2.      3.9 million Apple Watches shipped in Q3 2015

That’s a 71.6% decline in shipment as indicated in the table below:

So why is this happening?

Smartwatch dying due to Industry complacency – Watches are fashion Products, not Tech items

Well, it's not all doom and gloom. Garmin fared well, with a 324% sales increase. This was mainly because their focus was on health and fitness, the main perceived functions of a smartwatch by most customers. 

Apple and Pebble’s new watches launched in September 2016 and Google Android Wear 2.0 isn't coming out until 2017. Wristwatches are not tech gadgets; they’re fashion pieces as I've said before. People wear them to match their clothes, sweater and their car and often just have them for show, not function. So for fashion-conscious people, wearing the same old watch got boring real fast.

The Apple Watch simple needs to have more frequent hardware updates per year, in keeping with Fashion shows, tech fairs, celebrity endorsements and other places where they can grab the attention of customers as I've long predicted in my blog article entitled “Apple Watch delays on Pre-Order Day – How to Sell a Wearable using Apple Watch Edition on Celebrities and Third Party Wristbands”. 

Apple has already responded with the Apple Watch 2.0 that was launched at the same time as the Apple iPhone 7 as noted in “iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2: Everything you need to know from today's announcements”, published September 7, 2016 by Lori Grunin, CNET. 

Also, better battery life akin to a regular wristwatch would not be a bad idea not only for the Apple Watch but for all Apple products as noted in my blog article entitled “Apple files patent for Hydrogen Fuel cell – Why Portable Hydrogen Fuel Cells needed to cut the Analog Power Cord”. 

Apple and others need to create new hardware on a quarterly basis or even monthly basis with a focus on the health, fitness and healthy eating sectors that are booming as pointed out in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “How Gracekennedy Aloe Vera Sinkle Bibles American Health Drinks in 2016”.

Senior Research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, Jitesh Ubrani, puts it best, quote: “.....However, moving forward, differentiating the experience of a smartwatch from the smartphone will be key and we’re starting to see early signs of this as cellular integration is rising and as the commercial audience begins to pilot these devices”.

After all, it'll match with the current shift in focus of this generation towards spiritual wellness, health, fitness and healthy eating.