Wearable technology continues to grow as a product
category, according to a new report from International Data Corp. (IDC).
Worldwide shipments increased 197.6%, to 21 million units, in the third quarter
of 2015 compared to the same quarter of 2014.
Fitbit is the undisputed leader, with a 22% share of the
market. Apple is second with a 18.6% share, thanks to sales of the Apple Watch,
according to IDC. Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi finished third ahead of GPS-maker
Garmin.
Samsung’s share of the market slipped to sixth behind
Chinese vendor XTC, because of a late start in shipping its Gear S2. The “others”
category of manufacturers represented a 34.6% share of the worldwide wearables
market.
“It’s
still anyone’s game at this point,” Ramon Llamas, research manager for
wearables and mobile phones at IDC, said in a report for InformationWeek. “The fact that two Chinese vendors can play catch-up
rather quickly is perhaps indicative of other companies doing the same. Until
that happens, expect the popular brands to have a spot—Fitbit and Apple most
ostensibly.”