Latest research data released by market research firm IDC shows that Apple continues its dominance of the wearable market. However, the gap continues to shrink as Samsung and Huawei rapidly mount pressure on the US giant with impressive shipments.
According to the report, Samsung and Huawei have boosted their figures by a significantly higher degree than Apple during Q1, 2019 in the wearable market. Embattled Chinese giant Huawei dominated the industry in terms of growth and was able to triple its sales and thus, double its market share compared to Q1 2018. Huawei recorded a massive growth of 282.2%, shipping an estimated 5 million units of wearable devices globally. On the other and, Apple shipped 12.8 million and Xiaomi 6.6 million units. Samsung shipped an estimated 4.3 million units and Fitbit completed the top 5 with a total shipment of 2.9 million wearables.
All five wearable device manufacturers recorded year-on-year growth, shipping a grand total of 49.6 million unit shipments, which is up 55.2% from the same period last year. Fitbit reported the lowest surge of the top five vendors which is 35.7%, while Apple’s growth rate was 49.5%.
EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei retains 2nd spot worldwide sales, Apple sales slump
Apple Inc has seen a decline in its market share in smartphones as well, especially in markets like China and India. Where Huawei has toppled it from the second spot, while Samsung still retains the number one spot with the lead getting narrow by the day.
According to a statement by Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers; “The elimination of headphone jacks and the increased usage of smart assistants both inside and outside the home have been driving factors in the growth of ear-worn wearables.” He added, “Looking ahead, this will become an increasingly important category as a major platform and device makers use ear-worn devices as an on-ramp to entice consumers into an ecosystem of wearable devices that complement the smartphone but also offer the ability to leave the phone behind when necessary.”
