A new study by Juniper Research has found hearables shipments will exceed 200 million units by 2024, up from 165 million in 2022; representing total growth of 30% over the next two years. And Apple retains its lead in the category with the AirPods and AirPods Pro.
“Our research anticipates sustainability initiatives will impact future hearables shipments, meaning vendors must target product comprehensiveness, rather than specificity, to attract consumers,” says research author Adam Wears. “We have ranked Apple as an established leader due to its expansive, differentiated offerings; comprising high-quality audio with advanced assistive and healthcare-focused technologies that leverage its existing partnerships with stakeholders across the value chain in established and emerging use cases.”
The Juniper report identified assistive and healthcare-focused hearables segments, typified by Nuheara’s IQbuds and Bose’s SoundControl Hearing Aids, as key to this growth. These devices facilitate proactive management of hearing loss and other medical conditions; enabling long-term care cost savings compared to traditional therapies. The research group anticipates that these segments will comprise 18% of hearables’ shipments by 2024, compared to 12% in 2021.
