Apple Watch is Turning 10: A Decade of Innovation and Evolution
As the 10th generation Apple Watch approaches, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the evolution of Apple’s groundbreaking smartwatch over the past decade. Since its debut in 2015, Apple has maintained a dominant position in the global smartwatch market, holding over 50% of the market share today despite fierce competition. The first Apple Watch alone accounted for an impressive 65.4% of global shipments in its launch year, cementing Apple’s leadership.
A major factor behind this success is Apple’s ability to innovate while maintaining design consistency. The Apple Watch Series 1 set the stage with features like the optical crown reader, which remained unchanged until Series 4, where it was upgraded with an ECG electrode to enhance health monitoring. Heart rate monitoring, another key feature, has also evolved across generations, moving from two large photodiodes in Series 1 to eight smaller ones in Series 4, with further refinements in later models. By Series 7, Apple had settled on a stable design, which continued through Series 9 with only minor adjustments.
The display has seen steady improvements as well, increasing from 1.55 inches in Series 1 to 1.9 inches by Series 7, offering a larger screen without sacrificing the device’s 18-hour battery life. Apple’s advancements in power management have also been noteworthy. In Series 9, Apple introduced a custom power management chip, replacing Dialog Semiconductor’s solution, contributing to better efficiency and only a slight cost increase in production.
Apple has also excelled in managing costs across its smartwatch lineup. While specific components like the S9 processor's power management die are more expensive, Apple has optimized other areas, such as reducing the number of ICs and shrinking memory die sizes, resulting in lower overall production costs for Series 9 compared to Series 8. This cost control extends to supporting materials, where Apple has reduced costs from over $15 in Series 1 to around $3.50 in Series 9.
As we look ahead to the Apple Watch Series 10, TechInsights will be conducting a detailed teardown to explore how Apple continues to innovate while managing costs. Stay tuned for our upcoming teardown report to see how Apple’s next generation of smartwatches continues to shape the market.
