14 DAY TRIAL // Apple continues to be the leader of the wearable market, according to new data provided by IDC, but troubled Huawei is the company to watch these days.
IDC notes that Apple sold a total of 12.8 million units in the first quarter of 2019, up no less than 49.5% from the same quarter a year ago. This means Apple controls 25.8% of the wearable market, particularly thanks to the Apple Watch, whose latest generation is selling like hot cakes.
Xiaomi was the runner-up in Q1 with 6.6 million sold units and 13.3% share, and the Chinese company is also growing at a fast pace, with a 68.2% shipment increase during the quarter.
All eyes on Huawei
But the star of the show is none other than Huawei, which is now trying to deal with a ban that doesn’t allow the company to use products developed by American firms.
In the first quarter of the year, Huawei experienced a growth of no less than 282.2%, with its sales jumping from 1.3 million in Q1 2018 to no less than 5 million. Huawei now has a share of 10%,
IDC, however, warns that the US ban could raise particular challenges for Huawei.
“The company's success in the wearables market has been directly tied to its success in smartphones as the two products are often bundled together. However, with the recent uncertainty surrounding the company's future in smartphones, the outlook for the wearables side of the business will also remain in flux,” IDC says.
Overall, sales in the wearable market reached a total of 49.6 million units in the first quarter of 2019, up no less than 55.2% from the same quarter a year ago. Wrist-worn wearables, or smartwatches, accounted for 63.2% of all sales in the wearable market, but earn-worn devices, like the AirPods and the Samsung Galaxy Buds, recorded an increase of 135.1% YoY.