Technologies

Apple Watch Shipments Sharply Decline, Dropping Nearly 20% in 2024

Counterpoint’s latest report shows an ongoing dropoff in Apple Watch interest — and that’s before taking tariffs into account.

Things are not looking great for Apple’s smartwatch line. Market research company Counterpoint has released its latest report on Apple Watch performance, and it found that Apple Watch shipments, after dropping by 10% in 2023, fell sharply by almost 20% year-over-year in 2024.

The drop in shipments is attributed to a variety of factors unique to Apple, since its competitors like Huawei and Xiaomi saw growth during the same period, Counterpoint said. Issues include a lack of upgrades in the latest Apple Watch models and an overall lack of interest in the new Apple Watch 10 ($399 at Apple) from the North American market, which seems to be growing more price-conscious.

The current research does not include the impact of 2025, which have been a confusing ride for Apple so far and could lead to higher Apple Watch prices, availability issues for Americans or manufacturing problems for Apple products due to the ongoing tariffs situation. Keep track of the latest impact here with CNET’s tariff tracker.

When we reached out to Counterpoint analysts for more information on how Apple Watch sales may look this year, Research Director Jeff Fieldhack got back to CNET with important framing for these trends. «Most Apple watches entering the US come from Vietnam — so we are watching the Vietnam tariff situation,» he said. «If there are no exemptions or trade deals, we expect US consumers to pay for the increased costs of tariffs. We do not believe Apple or any other companies in the value chain to end consumers will absorb the cost of tariffs.»

However, two interesting smartwatch areas are bucking the trend and seeing notable growth: India, which was one of the only regions to see growth in Apple Watch shipments; and kid’s smartwatches, which was the only sector to see global growth in the 2024 smartwatch industry.

To return to year-over-year growth, Counterpoint suggests that Apple focus on releasing new models for its Watch SE and Watch Ultra lines, as well as focusing on substantial design upgrades for its new watches.

Counterpoint and Apple didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Technologies

Fear Not: Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge Is Getting a Slender but Mighty Display

A new Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 cover brings a «sleek yet strong design,» according to Samsung.

If you’re eyeing the super-thin Galaxy S25 Edge but are anxious about bending your screen, Samsung says not to worry. The company is teaming up with Corning to incorporate a new glass ceramic display, called Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, into the upcoming device, the companies said Thursday.

Samsung is gearing up to unveil the Galaxy S25 Edge, a thinner version of its current flagship lineup, on Monday during a virtual Unpacked event. It first teased the S25 Edge in January, and so far has only shown models of the phone at events, including the Galaxy Unpacked event in January and Mobile World Congress in March (observers could only look, not touch).

Details on the upcoming phone have been slim, though there have been plenty of rumors on everything from the cameras to battery life to storage. But on Wednesday, Samsung confirmed the phone will have a 200-megapixel wide camera. And now, it’s sharing details about the display.

«Combining Corning’s advanced glass technology with Samsung’s proprietary processing and reinforcement technologies, the Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 cover on the Galaxy S25 Edge delivers a sleek yet strong design on Samsung’s slimmest S series device yet,» Samsung said in a statement.

Samsung’s virtual Unpacked event will take place on Monday, May 12, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). It will be livestreamed on Samsung’s YouTube channel, Samsung.com and the Samsung Newsroom. CNET will cover the launch, so be sure to follow along.

Customers who preorder the Galaxy S25 Edge can get a $50 Samsung credit to use toward the device.

For more details, check out our article on what to expect from the Galaxy S25 Edge reveal.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

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Technologies

Meta Reportedly Eyeing ‘Super Sensing’ Tech for Smart Glasses

The company is reportedly pulling back on some privacy concerns to give its smart glasses lineup a bigger AI boost.

Meta is reportedly developing what it calls a «super sensing» type of facial recognition technology to its smart glasses lineup. A new report from The Information said Meta is developing software for the glasses that has the ability to recognize people by name and keep better track of what users are doing throughout the day.

The company originally planned to include similar technology in its first wave of smart glasses, but abandoned that effort due to privacy concerns.

Now, however, the tech appears to be back on the table. Meta is reportedly working on two new pairs of smart glasses, internally known as Aperol and Bellini, and is also re-evaluating its privacy policies and potential safety risks associated with the technology, the report said.

The report also said the feature would be opt-in only.

It’s part of Meta’s larger strategy to expand its smart glasses lineup and integrate AI more deeply into the products. It follows news that rivals like Google — now developing its first smart glasses since Google Glass — are boosting their push into the category.

It’s also said to be integrating this same «sensing» recognition capability into AI-powered earphones, which are said to include embedded cameras and sensors.

A representative for Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for May 9, #1420

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,420 for May 9.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle could be tricky. It’s not a super-common word, though the letters aren’t especially unusual. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.