Other competitors did grow, but in smaller numbers. Samsung held on to third place with 1.1 million devices due in no small part to the Galaxy Watch launch. Garmin, however, was struggling. While its shipments did go up to 800,000, the relatively small increase (200,000) left it losing market share to its faster-growing challengers.

There's a good chance this trend continues. The holiday is likely to see a surge in sales, especially for brand new models like the Apple Watch Series 4 and low-cost options like the Versa. If there's a danger for the market, it's that smaller companies might find themselves squeezed out as gift-givers flock to the major options.