But over time it will likely cement the fledgling wearables marketApple is gearing up to compete against Fitbit, Nike and Jawbone Apple is gearing up to battle Nike, Fitbit and Jawbone in the health wearables space with its most innovative product since the iPad. If the iWatch is at the minimum announced on Sept. 9 or in October, an early 2015 ramp-up of deliveries would encroach on sales of popular exercise bracelets during the key holiday shopping season, as Apple AAPL,+0.87% devotees flock toTim Cook’s first new product categoryas CEO. “If reports are accurate, it will put a pretty severe dent in holiday sales for wearables,” said Malay Gandhi, managing director of the San Francisco-based venture capital firm Rock Health, which has invested in health startups such as Stride Health, Accountable and Doctor on Demand. Fitbit, Jawbone and Nike FuelBandsNKE,+2.65% accounted for the vast majority of wearable sales last year with a 97% share, though just 3.3 million fitness bands and activity trackers were sold in the U.S. between April 2013 and March 2014, according to the NPD Group. A device hasn’t emerged with enough authority to encourage mass-market adoption, analysts say. Data from Rock Health even shows a sharp decline in use after just six months. “We hoped Nike would create a mainstream wearable market, but it didn’t,” Gandhi said. Rock HealthUsage of existing health wearables falls sharply after just a few months. However, downward trends are expected to reverse with the debut of the iWatch, as Apple brings marketability to a product that has struggled to take off in America. In the long term, it could revitalize demand for other types of fitness bands, particularly lower-cost ones. “If Apple nails the product story, which it historically does, the market should grow underneath,” Gandhi said. The vast majority of analysts are calling for a price point between $200 and $300, which would put it just above FuelBand and Jawbone territory, whose advanced models sell for $150. Fitbit and the less-complex versions of the FuelBand sit just below $100 – which give those bands an advantage in the market for people simply looking to keep track of their steps and calorie intake.“It will put a pretty severe dent in holiday sales for wearables.”Malay Gandhi, managing director, Rock Health Apple’s entrance will breathe new life into a market that has struggled to take off. “Wearables have not truly entered the common consumer’s conscience yet,” said Sean Aune, editor in chief of TechnoBuffalo, a website run by tech enthusiasts. IDC in April projected that the wearable-computer market would skyrocket to 19.2 million units sold in 2014. Morgan StanleyMS,-0.20% in July told clients Apple could sell as many as 60 million iWatch units in its first year. The Cupertino tech giant has been gearing up for a healthcare push for some time now, hiring a number of sensor tech pros, and introducing HealthKit in June, which encourages developers to build health and fitness apps that can communicate with one another. Add those apps to advanced biosensors expected to be integrated into the iWatch, and Apple has a device that could revolutionize the way people keep tabs on their heart rate, calories, sleeping habits or glucose levels. Nike, Fitbit, and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story. Jawbone declined to comment. Article