It took Apple just four months to control 20% of the smartwatch market

With only a single product to its name, Apple has already taken the number two spot in the global wearables market, according to market analysts IDC. The agency’s quarterly wearable report claims that Apple shipped a total of 3.6 million units in the second quarter of 2015, putting it just behind market leader Fitbit, shipping 4.4 million devices. These figures are only estimates of course, but if they’re close to the truth then it’s a sizable achievement for Apple. Not only is the Apple Watch the company’s debut product in the market, but it’s also so much more expensive than the competition. Apple’s entry into the wearable market also boosted the industry as a whole, says the IDC, with total shipment volume up 223.2 percent from the same quarter last year to 18.1 million units. IDC’s wearables research manager Ramon Llamas said that Apple’s participation in the market not only draws attention to the product category as a whole, but also forces competitors to “re-evaluate their products and experiences.” Given the glut of new wearables we’re expecting to see at IFA in Berlin next month, this analysis certainly rings true.