Flagging Apple Watch demand sends shipments plunging 55%
Time might be running out for the Apple Watch after the publication of new data showing a precipitous 55 per cent decline in shipments of the device over the second quarter.
International Data Corp recorded the global smartwatch market contract by 32 per cent year on year with market leader Apple bearing the brunt of this pain, although it has yet to publicly confirm the numbers.
Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst at IDC, commented: "Consumers have held off on smartwatch purchases since early 2016 in anticipation of a hardware refresh, and improvements in WatchOS are not expected until later this year, effectively stalling existing Apple Watch sales.
"Apple still maintains a significant lead in the market and unfortunately a decline for Apple leads to a decline in the entire market."
Apple has come under pressure to innovate with new technology lines amidst concern that growth of its flagship iPhone range could falter, leaving the firm exposed as a one-trick pony.