• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Apple Watch Is Your Favorite Smartwatch—But Just Barely

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 13, 2016, 11:15 AM ET
Apple Previews Its New iWatch
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: The new Apple Watch is viewed at an Apple store in Manhattan on April 10, 2015 in New York, New York. Consumers around the world were able to try on the long awaited smartwatch on Friday and to place orders. On April 24, consumers will be able to buy it online or by appointment in select stores. The Apple Watch sport starts at $349 with the standard version retailing at $549 in the U.S. Luxury "Edition" watches with 18-karat gold alloys will be priced from $10,000 and will go as high as $17,000. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Spencer Platt — Getty Images

There’s yet another Apple-Samsung face-off brewing.

Apple’s (AAPL) Apple Watch ranks highest among all smartwatches in terms of customer satisfaction, J.D. Power reported this week. However, with a score of 852 out of a possible 1,000, it just barely topped Samsung’s score of 842 and Sony’s (SNE) score of 840, according to the report. The average score across all smartwatches was 847.

J.D. Power analyzes devices on a 1,000-point scale. On smartwatches, the company surveyed device owners and asked them how they would rate their devices on 11 factors, including ease of use, comfort, battery life, price, and others. After collecting that data, it assigned figures to each factor to determine a particular brand’s customer satisfaction.

According to J.D. Power, Apple Watch won the race thanks to its comfort, styling, and ease of use. Samsung, which offers a wide range of smartwatches and wearables, did well in customer service and display size.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Apple Watch launched last year and was the first device from the iPhone maker to enter the wearables market. Apple Watch comes in a slew of versions depending on customer preference, but customers can pick those variations in a few categories, including Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, and the luxury Apple Watch Edition.

Debate has raged over how popular Apple Watch is and how many of its owners are actually using the device. Critics have said Apple Watch hasn’t lived up to the hype and after using it for some time, customers generally discard it. Apple and its supporters, however, say Apple Watch has been a success and even outstripped the company’s sales expectations. Apple has, however, failed to provide Apple Watch sales figures, leaving everyone to guess at how well it’s actually performing.

Still, that hasn’t stopped analysts from taking a guess. Longtime Apple analyst Neil Cybart recently predicted that Apple has sold 12.1 million Apple Watch units that have generated $5.7 billion in revenue. He added that he believes Apple Watch is already a $10 billion business.

“Apple already has a $10 billion Apple Watch business on its hands,” Cybart said in his analysis. “This is even before all of the significant changes in watchOS 3 were unveiled on stage at [the 2016] WWDC. Rather than pressing a reset button, Apple is systematically going through the Apple Watch business to fix friction points that developed over the first year. All of this is being done to position the Watch for improved adoption and a valuation much greater than $10 billion.”

Now we know that Apple Watch is seemingly well-received among its owners.

In addition to looking at smartwatches, though, J.D. Power analyzed fitness bands. On that front, where Apple doesn’t directly compete with a dedicated fitness band, the company found Samsung and Garmin (GRMN) were tops with scores of 859 and 836, respectively. The average fitness band earned a score of 829.

For more about Apple Watch, watch:

J.D. Power’s fitness band report is based on responses from nearly 3,000 survey participants who have purchased a device within the last 12 months. The company’s smartwatch survey includes nearly 2,700 respondents.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is displayed outside a Space Exploration Technologies Corp. facility in Hawthorne, California.
Startups & VentureElon Musk
SpaceX has filed confidentially for IPO ahead of AI rivals
By Bailey Lipschultz, Edward Ludlow and BloombergApril 1, 2026
3 hours ago
AI ‘slop’ is flooding YouTube Kids—and more than 200 groups and experts are calling for a ban
CybersecurityYouTube
AI ‘slop’ is flooding YouTube Kids—and more than 200 groups and experts are calling for a ban
By Catherina GioinoApril 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Deutsche Bank asked AI if it’s true that AI will solve the economy’s inflation problems. The robots answered
Economydisruption
Deutsche Bank asked AI if it’s true that AI will solve the economy’s inflation problems. The robots answered
By Nick LichtenbergApril 1, 2026
4 hours ago
ntsb
LawAutos
Why hands-free systems in self-driving cars aren’t actually safer, according to the NTSB
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressApril 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Mike Wirth, chief executive officer of Chevron.
EnergyData centers
Microsoft and Chevron enter exclusivity deal on powering West Texas AI data center complex
By Jordan BlumApril 1, 2026
5 hours ago
A chip research center site operations manager stands next to a window overlooking the facility.
EnvironmentData centers
Data centers are so hot their ‘heat island’ effect is raising temperatures up to 6 miles away and impacting 343 million people worldwide, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergApril 1, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
Economy
Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
Success
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
1 day ago
Kevin O'Leary says if you earn $68,000 a year and follow this rule, you'll retire a millionaire
Personal Finance
Kevin O'Leary says if you earn $68,000 a year and follow this rule, you'll retire a millionaire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
1 day ago
A man used AI to call 3,000 Irish bartenders to track the cost of Guinness. Now pubs are lowering their prices to compete
AI
A man used AI to call 3,000 Irish bartenders to track the cost of Guinness. Now pubs are lowering their prices to compete
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
Hiring just hit a level not seen since the economy was ‘closed down literally’ during COVID, top economist says
Economy
Hiring just hit a level not seen since the economy was ‘closed down literally’ during COVID, top economist says
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
1 day ago
Markets cheer as Trump threatens to abandon Iran war, but Jamie Dimon sides with allies: ‘Win this thing and clean up the straits’
Energy
Markets cheer as Trump threatens to abandon Iran war, but Jamie Dimon sides with allies: ‘Win this thing and clean up the straits’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.