Smartwatch shipments leap 67% in Q3, with Fitbit jumping into 2nd place behind Apple

Global smartwatch shipments leap 67 percent year-on-year in the third quarter to 10 million units, according to the latest study from Strategy Analytics. The number was 6.0 million the year before. Apple Watch maintained its top position with a worldwide market share of 45 percent, with Fitbit jumping into second place, overtaking Samsung and Garmin.

Apple shipped 4.5 million smartwatches in the quarter, up 25 percent from 3.6 million shipped the year earlier. Its impressive market share is still less than the 60 percent enjoyed the year before, with competition coming from Fitbit and Samsung.

Fitbit shipped 1.5 million smartwatches in the quarter, grabbing 15 percent market share, a strong rise from last year's zero share. The world's second largest smartwatch brand is popular in North America and could grow as much as Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Samsung, in third place, had a market share of 11 percent, up slightly from 10 percent year-on-year, its first marketshare gain in the smartwatch segment for over a year. The company's new Galaxy Watch range is selling fairly well, due to improved hardware design and aggressive marketing.

In fourth place, Garmin's market share slipped to 8 percent from 10 percent, hit by rising competition from Fitbit, Samsung and others in the sports and music categories.