A total of 27.4 million wearable devices were shipped during the fourth quarter of 2015, or 126.9 percent more than previous year, according to the latest IDC figures. For the full year, vendors shipped a total of 78.1 million units, up a strong 171.6% over 2014.
“Triple-digit growth highlights growing interest in the wearables market from both end-users and vendors,” noted Ramon Llamas, Research Manager for IDC’s Wearables team. “It shows that wearables are not just for the technophiles and early adopters; wearables can exist and are welcome in the mass market. And since wearables have yet to fully penetrate the mass market, there is still plenty of room for growth in multiple vectors: new vendors, form factors, applications, and use cases. This will help propel the market further.
Fitbit ended the year as the undisputed worldwide leader of wearable devices thanks to its well-segmented device portfolio, a fast-growing corporate wellness program, and extended market reach around the world. It entered the year with a new watch, Fitbit Blaze, and a fashion-oriented wristband, Fitbit Alta.
Apple enjoyed holiday promotions and drove its overall “Other Products” revenue during the fourth quarter of 2015. Expectations are higher for the next-generation Watch that can leverage the company’s platforms (HealthKit, ResearchKit, WatchKit, and watchOS 2) and connectivity capabilities.
Fitbit ended the year as the undisputed worldwide leader of wearable devices.The low-lost Mi Band helped Xiaomi secured the largest year-over-year improvement of any vendor. With the updated model, the Mi Band Pulse, the company hopes to repeat the success it had with the original device.
Meanwhile, Samsung finished just ahead of Garmin to take fourth place during the quarter. Its growth was propelled by the Gear S2 smartwatch, though we saw the company also experimenting with other form factors, including a smart belt, NFC-connected suit, and footwear.
Finally, Garmin came in fifth and it continues to address market niches with products specifically made for runners, golfers, swimmers, citizen athletes, and so on.