Well, this just makes you wonder about the the old cliche that 99% of all statistics are made up. Earlier this month Slice Intelligence said that Apple’s AirPods captured a 26% share of the wireless headphone market within a short time of going on sale. Together with a Beats share of around 15%, that put Apple at a combined total of 40%.
Now the NPD Group — as noted by CNET — says that, in December, the AirPods had 2% share of unit sales and 3% share of dollar sales. Beats had a 25 percent share (unit sales) and a 46 percent share (dollar sales), according to the research group.
“Apple being able to capture 2% of the market in units and 3% in dollars with one product in its debut month is significant, given how big the headphone market is,” Ben Arnold, an executive director and industry analyst at NPD Group, told CNET.
How do you explain the discrepancy? Unlike Slice, which analyzes the email receipts of 4.2 million online shoppers, NPD’s data reflects brick-and-mortar and online sales, including Amazon, the article adds.
