Good news for the Apple Watch: the Canalys research group predicts that the smartwatch market will grow 18% in 2017, with 28.5 million units being shipped. This will mean the total value of smartwatch shipments in 2017 will reach $10 billion.
Canalys forecasts that there will be further declines in the traditional watch industry as smartwatch manufacturers release more high-end models. As the average selling price of smartwatches climbs, the value of the smartwatch market will reach about two-thirds that of the predicted value of the traditional Swiss watch market this year, according to the research group.