How China wearables market has changed since Apple Watch launched, with rising demand for personalised products
Apple faces competition on price from domestic giants Xiaomi and Huawei, and from smaller companies who see Chinese customers for wearables as different and swayed more by emotions than specifications
The wearables market wouldn't be the same without Apple. All eyes have been on the tech company for the past few years as it competes with rival mobile technology giants, and start-ups, to create the ultimate connected smart wristband.
A fitness tracker, a heart-rate monitor, a payment device, and more, the Apple Watch continues to innovate on its offerings to outlast the hype, and sales of Apple wearables, including its Airpod earphones, rose 60 per cent year-on-year in the latest quarter.
In China, the wearables market has taken on a different shape to that elsewhere – one that is fuelled partly by the purchases of discerning luxury consumers.
Soon after Apple launched its first smartwatch in China, the company adopted a strategy designed to woo affluent Chinese buyers: it launched the first collaboration between a tech company and a luxury brand, Hermès. The leather goods purveyor transformed what was considered a techie product into a sleek, fashionable accessory with customisable leather straps, inspiring a series of smartwatch launches from luxury brands.
But in the market for smartwatches and wearables in China, Apple’s upscale offerings are only part of the story. Last year, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi surpassed both Apple and Fitbit in shipments, as it and rival Chinese technology company Huawei wooed consumers by offering wearables at lower price points.