It's only been a few weeks since Apple (AAPL -0.57%) officially launched its new smartwatch, but so far all signs point to the company's newest device being a huge threat to the competition.
KGI Securities says there were 2.3 million Apple Watch pre-orders leading up the April launch -- which would be nearly twice as many watches ordered than Samsung sold in all of 2014. And research from BI Intelligence shows the Apple Watch taking 40% of all smartwatch shipments this year, and 48% by 2018.
There are two main reasons why Apple's Watch will succeed over the competition according to Gartner and Forrester Research: Apple is focusing on design more than its competitors at a time when users are increasingly interested in how their wearable devices look, and Apple's vast app ecosystem is better than its rivals' offerings.
To find out more about how the Apple Watch's competition stacks up now and how the device will overtake them, click through the slideshow below.
