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According to a recent report from a top tech analyst, Apple Watch sales are set to decline by 15 percent year-over-year. Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the 2024 offering will not bring enough new features to the table to curb the decline in purchases. He claims that this could change in 2025 when the Micro LED is introduced, but there’s a chance that this won’t happen until 2026.
Apple may need to rethink its approach with its flagship wearable if it is to change its fortunes. It may be wise to look at what worked for the iPhone and aim to replicate that.
New Offerings Failing to Innovate Enough
The Apple Watch’s primary function is a fitness watch, and it’s clear that the company is putting a lot of focus into improving this area. Each new generation of the wearable comes with additional health features, with the Apple Watch Series 9 now coming with the ability to track a woman’s menstrual cycle. This is on top of aspects that came with previous versions, such as the blood oxygen gauge and the ECG reader.
There’s no doubt that the Apple Watch provides a lot of great features for fitness enthusiasts, but it faces stiff competition from other wearable developers in this field. Indeed, many would attest that options such as Garmin’s Epix Pro are much better overall for people who exercise as a way of life.
Apple’s marketing model involves releasing annual updates on its main products, but it’s arguably failing to do enough with its watches. There are only minor changes and updates each year, which leaves many existing users happy to stick with using the older generations that they already have. This lack of innovation is now manifesting itself in a sales decline.
Smartphones Succeeded Thanks to Integration of iGaming
It would make sense for Apple to look at what worked well for its smartphones and replicate that on the smaller device. The iPhone also got off to a slow start when it was released, but its sales swiftly exploded throughout the 2010s.
Interestingly, this spike in sales occurred in tandem with the lightning fast expansion of the online casino industry. This was because iGaming sites adapted to the emergence of smartphones and made their games available for them. It turns out that table games online are perfectly suited to smartphones, and now there are countless options to choose from including Lightning Roulette First Person and Dragon Tiger First Person.
The Apple Watch should keep all the fitness aspects, but it would make sense to also incorporate some iGaming opportunities. This would help it appeal to a much broader demographic. Along with table games, players could enjoy slot games from the wearable. Alternatively, the Apple Watch could be incorporated with the gameplay of these titles, giving players new ways to bet while they continue to watch the action from their smartphone screen.
Despite many improvements over the years, it looks like interest in the Apple Watch could have plateaued. The tech brand needs to do more to expand its audience, because it can’t just rely on fitness features alone.
