Global shipments of wearable devices totaled 84.5 million units in the third quarter of 2019 (3Q19), a year-over-year increase of 94.6% and a new record for shipments in a single quarter, according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. Apple captured the top position thanks to the growing popularity of the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats headphones, notes the research group.
Looking ahead, IDC says the price reduction on the Series 3 Watch, as well as the launch of AirPods Pro leaves Apple in a strong position to maintain dominance in this market for the short term.
Most of the growth in demand for wearables was driven by new products in the hearables market. Hearables alone accounted for almost half the market in 3Q19, followed by wristbands and smartwatches.
“Hearables have become the new go-to product for the wearables market,” says Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC’s Wearables Team. “This began with multiple vendors removing the headphone jack from their smartphones, driving the move toward wireless headphones. It continued with hearables incorporating additional features that either augment or expand the audio experience. Next, hearables have taken on multiple form factors – ranging from truly wireless to over-the-ear headphones – appealing to a broad base of earwear user preferences. Finally, prices have come down significantly, with some reaching below $20.”
