The launch of Apple Watch gave the company number two spot in the wearables market in the second quarter of 2015, “within striking distance” of established market leader Fitbit, according to IDC.

The analyst firm said that Apple shipped a total of 3.6 million units in the three months, putting it 0.8 million units behind Fitbit’s 4.4 million. Total market size for the period was 18.1 million units, up an impressive 223.2 per cent from 5.6 million in 2Q 2014.

“Anytime Apple enters a new market, not only does it draw attention to itself, but to the market as a whole. Its participation benefits multiple players and platforms within the wearables ecosystem, and ultimately drives total volumes higher,” Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC’s Wearables team, noted.

Apple’s arrival had the biggest effect on the ‘smart wearables’ category – devices capable of running third-party apps. In this sector, about two in three devices shipped came from the iPhone maker.

“Although Fitbit outshipped Apple, it’s worth noting that Fitbit only sells basic wearables – a category that is expected to lose share over the next few years, leaving Apple poised to become the next market leader for all wearables,” Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, said.

The challenge for makers of basic wearables, IDC said, comes in competing with the additional features offered by smart wearables while still turning a profit in a price-sensitive market.

Aside from Apple and Fitbit, third-placed Xiaomi has been “unstoppable in China” as it was quick to introduce “rock-bottom prices”. So far, its limited distribution channels beyond China has been a deciding factor in growth.

Garmin’s focus on ‘citizen athletes’ has been successful so far, although IDC noted that increasing competition has led to a reduction in share. It mooted that Garmin’s ConnectIO platform “may help alleviate some of the pressure”, as it looks to support other apps around its hardware.

Finally, Samsung “narrowly edged out Huawei and Jawbone” to remain in the top five vendors, with sustained success from its Gear S and Gear Fit, and Gear S2 set to be announced imminently. However, the company said Samsung’s practice of making wearables that only work with its high-end smartphones, plus support for Tizen, has limited its potential reach.

Vendor 2Q15 shipment volume (m) 2Q15 market share 2Q14 shipment volume (m) 2Q14 market share 2Q15/2Q14 growth
Fitbit 4.4 24.3% 1.7 30.4% 158.8%
Apple 3.6 19.9% 0 0.0%
Xiaomi 3.1 17.1% 0 0.0%
Garmin 0.7 3.9% 0.5 8.9% 40.0%
Samsung 0.6 3.3% 0.8 14.3% -25.0%
Others 5.7 31.5% 2.6 46.4% 119.2%
Total 18.1 100.0% 5.6 100.0% 223.2%