Apple once again dominates the wearables market thanks to Apple Watch, AirPods

Global shipments of wearable devices grew 29.7% year-over-year during the first quarter of 2020 (1Q20) as total device volume reached 72.6 million units according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. And, thanks to the Apple Watch, Air Pods, and Beats products, Apple once again dominates the wearables market.

The hearables category was seemingly resilient to the market-suppressing forces caused by COVID-19,” says Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. “Consumers were clamouring for these sophisticated earpieces not only for the ability to playback audio but also to help them increase productivity, as many of them were forced to work from home and sought ways to reduce surrounding noise while staying connected to their smartphones and smart assistants.

Apple was once again the top wearables company with 29.3% share and 21.2 million units. While Apple Watch shipments declined due to difficulties in the supply chain, the strength of the Beats and AirPods lineup was more than enough to offset the negative growth, according to IDC.