I watched the Apple event this past September and was very excited to see the Apple Watch announced first. However, it ended up being a letdown. The company announced the Apple Watch Series 10, which, while being one of the best smartwatches available, was also a disappointment.

Sure, it had a bigger screen, better performance, and a new chip, but it felt like a modest update to the Series 9 and, frankly, a bit of the same. Some of the interesting new features, like breathing disruptions, are software-based and now come to older devices with watchOS 11.

And apparently I'm not alone in thinking that Apple's wearables are starting to lose a bit of their appeal. According to a new report from International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple watch shipments fell by 3.3 million units year over year.

Of course, there are some caveats here: the data covers Q1-Q3, which is usually January through September, and the comparison is between 2024 and 2023. In other words, this is mostly before the Series 10 was announced and a few months after the Series 9 was launched.

But maybe I am overthinking this. Maybe Apple's fall from the top spot in the wearables market actually has nothing to do with the buzz around the Apple Watch; according to IDC data, most of the change is due to the explosive growth seen in China, led by Huawei.

Following the 2019 ban, Huawei's devices cannot be purchased in the U.S., so the company has increasingly focused on markets closer to home, such as China, where it has experienced huge year-over-year (YoY) growth of 44.3%, shipping 23.6 million units between Q1 and Q3 this year Apple shipped 23.6 million units between Q1 and Q3 of this year. Incidentally, Apple shipped 22.5 million units during the same period.

But I think it is not only due to various constraints and regional markets that played a role here. Huawei has also released trackers and smartwatch models with really interesting and useful features at price points for all budgets (Apple's “cheaper” Watch SE is over $200).

The company launched the Huawei D2 smartwatch earlier this year. It does all the usual smartwatch things, but it also has a built-in blood pressure monitor. I have an ailment that requires me to keep track of my blood pressure and a feature like this is invaluable.

Our friends at TechRadar also reviewed the Huawei D2 and gave it a score of 4.5 out of 5. If this device were available in the U.S., it would be a huge hit. And it lasts six days on a charge, compared to the Apple Watch Series 10's 18 hours.

So while Apple remains one of the most popular smartwatch brands in the world, it is starting to be overtaken by companies that can offer more innovative designs and better price points. Tim Cook and his co-owners should keep this in mind as they prepare for the Apple Watch Series 11.