Apple Watch will dominate market next year - analyst

Newly unveiled device will generate majority of the 28.2 million smartbands shipping in 2015, predicts Canalys

The Apple Watch has received a ringing endorsement from analyst Canalys, which predicts the hotly anticipated device will generate the majority of smartband shipments next year.

Shipments of wearable bands will more than double to 43.2 million units next year, Canalys forecast, with 28.2 million of those being so-called smartbands, like the Apple Watch, which are capable of running third-party applications.

The Apple timepiece, which was unveiled yesterday and will not launch until early next year, will make up the majority of smartband shipments in 2015, leaving competitors such as Google playing catch-up, Canalys said.

Canalys analyst Daniel Matte said that by creating a new user interface tailored to its tiny display, Apple has created a smartwatch that will appeal to the mass market.

"The sleek software, variety of designs and reasonable entry price make for a compelling new product," Matte said. "Apple must still prove, however, that the final product will deliver adequate battery life for consumers."

Sales of "basic bands" - those which, like smartbands, are designed to act as accessories to smart devices but that cannot run third-party applications - are set to reach 15 million next year, according to Canalys.

Basic band vendors, such as Fitbit and Jawbone, will enjoy the advantages of their lower pricing in the near term, said Canalys principal analyst Chris Jones.

"Eventually, however, stronger smartband competitors to the Apple Watch will likely emerge and push smartband pricing down, threatening the basic bands," he said. "This market will undergo disruption similar to that suffered by feature phones when smartphone prices fell."

Canalys praised Android Wear for growing a viable ecosystem but said Google must "greatly improve" its wearable platform over the coming years to compete with Apple. Any vendor looking to make a splash in wearable bands must provide clear value to consumers beyond the existing capabilities of smartphones, the analyst added.

According to rival analyst Juniper Research, the total smart wearables market will triple in size to reach $53bn (£33bn) in hardware terms by 2019, with watches and glasses driving growth.