(c)iStock.com/HASLOO

The total shipment volumes of wearable devices grew 67.2% year on year to 19.7 million units during the most recent quarter, according to analysis from the International Data Corporation (IDC), with Fitbit continuing to lead the pack.

The figures, from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, found Fitbit continues to be the leading vendor, followed by Xiaomi, Apple and Garmin, with Samsung and BBK tied for fifth spot.

IDC's wearables team research manager, Ramon Llamas, said: “The good news is that the wearables market continues to mature and expand. The wearables that we see today are several steps ahead of what we saw when this market began, increasingly taking their cues from form, function, and fashion. That keeps them relevant. The downside is that it is becoming a crowded market, and not everyone is guaranteed success.”

Consumers were faced with a barrage of new device launches as several fitness trackers and smartwatches were introduced at the major technology shows, according to the researchers. Following the holidays, many companies offered price discounts on multiple wearables, including Apple's Sport Watch.

The quarter also saw emerging wearables categories such as clothing and footwear take part in the wearable growth story. However, several startups announced employee redundancies while others shut shop, showing the competitiveness of the wearables market.

Jitesh Ubrani, IDC mobile device trackers senior research analyst, said: “There's a clear bifurcation and growth within the wearables market. Smart watches attempt to offer holistic experiences by being everything to everyone, while basic wearables like fitness bands, connected clothing, or hearables have a focused approach and often offer specialised use cases.

“It's shortsighted to think that basic wearables and smart watches are in competition with each other. Right now, we see both as essential to expand the overall market,” he added. “The unique feature sets combined with substantial differences in price and performance sets each category apart, and leaves plenty of room for both to grow over the next few years.”

According to recent analysis from CCS Insight, wearable sales in the UK will hit five million shipments by the end of 2016.

 

 

Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their IoT use-cases? Attend the IoT Tech Expo World Series events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam to learn more.

The show is co-located with the AI & Big Data Expo, Cyber Security & Cloud Expo and Blockchain Expo so you can explore the entire ecosystem in one place.