Apple Watch sales slipped 20% in 2024
Competitors in the advanced smartwatch market are growing, and Apple’s edge is wearing thin.
Apple’s smartwatch line is losing steam, and fast. Lately, the excitement surrounding Apple Watch has dulled. And now, the numbers are reflecting that slowdown.
According to research firm Counterpoint, global Apple Watch shipments dropped nearly 20% year-over-year in 2024. That follows a 10% dip the year before. Two straight years of decline isn’t just a blip, it’s a sign that something deeper might be going on.
The biggest hit came from North America, which typically accounts for more than half of Apple’s smartwatch shipments. Demand has cooled off, and the latest models haven’t done much to turn that around.
The causes? A stale product lineup, a lack of innovation, and missing models that usually prop up sales.
For one, the Apple Watch Series 10, which was expected to debut new health features like blood pressure monitoring, arrived without any headline features. Instead, the update was mostly cosmetic slightly larger screen, same old battery life, and no breakthrough sensor.
The absence of Apple’s two most strategic models also doesn’t help the situation. The Watch SE — Apple’s most affordable and widely adopted model — hasn’t been updated since 2022. And the Watch Ultra, Apple’s premium option that usually grabs more than 10% of shipments, didn’t get a 2024 release at all. That hurt. In Q4, Ultra’s share dropped under 8%, and for the first time ever, even a brand-new Watch launch quarter ended with a year-over-year decline despite other brands seeing growth. It’s not that smartwatches are declining — they’re not. It’s just that Apple isn’t leading the conversation the way it used to.
There are signs Apple is trying to course-correct. A new SE is reportedly in development, though delays have emerged over a switch to a plastic body — a cost-saving move that hasn’t gone over well internally. There’s also ongoing research into non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, but that’s still years away from becoming a commercial product.
Apple’s dominance in the smartwatch market isn’t in immediate danger, but it’s definitely being challenged. Competitors in the advanced smartwatch market are growing, and Apple’s edge is wearing thin. Unless 2025 brings real changes — a new SE, an Ultra 3, and maybe, finally, a feature that feels fresh — this trend might only get worse.
