A new IDC report that was published today shows that Apple is within striking distance of the established market leader, Fitbit. Apple shipped a total of 3.6 million units in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15), just 0.8 million units behind Fitbit's 4.4 million units. Yet understandably IDC's report only covered up to Q2 when Best Buy was only selling Fitbit devices and not the Apple Watch. That's now changed. At the end of July Best Buy added the Apple Watch to 300 stores. Better yet, Best Buy's CEO boldly told Wall Street Analysts recently that the Apple Watch was so hot that they were going to quickly ramp up their sales by adding the Apple Watch to their entire 1050 big-box stores in time for the important holiday season. With Apple WatchOS 2.0 scheduled to be released in just a few weeks, Best Buy wants to be the go-to store for Apple's hot wearable. By adding Best Buy to Apple's distribution chain alone is enough to guarantee a massive explosion in sales that will put the Apple Watch in the top spot by Q1 2016 – if not earlier.

Yes, Fitbit is the current leader in wearables but even that has to be put into context. According to IDC's Mobile Device Trackers Senior Research Analyst Jitesh Ubrani, "Apple has clearly garnered an impressive lead in this space and its dominance is expected to continue. And, although Fitbit out-shipped 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." He should have said the next market leader for all wearables shorty.

Ramon Llamas, Research Manager for IDC's Wearables team added that "Fairly or not, Apple will become the stick against which other wearables are measured, and competing vendors need to stay current or ahead of Apple. Now that Apple is officially a part of the wearables market, everyone will be watching to see what other wearable devices it decides to launch …"

For more IDC report details, click here.

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