Market analysis

Smartwatch shipments collapse in Q3 2016

Graph - Going down

All is not well for the global smartwatch market. Year-over-year shipment figures dipped for the first time in the second quarter of the year. Things did not improve in Q3 as International Data Corporation (IDC) reported yesterday that the market experienced a “round of growing pains” with another year-over-year decline in shipment volumes. Volumes dropped 51.6% from a total of 5.6 million […]

44% of millennials already own a smartwatch

Variety of smartwatches

While smartwatch sales showed signs of slowing down earlier this summer, at least one demographic group appears to have strongly embraced smartwatches. A study looking at smartwatch ownership conducted by Fluent found that 44% of millennials have already purchased a smartwatch. In comparison, only 23% of non-millennials said that they owned one. The study also found that millennials are more likely to own Apple […]

IDC: Worldwide smartwatch shipments decline for first time

Graph - Going down

While analysts continue to predict a rosy future for wearables, the road there will not be without its bumps. International Data Corporation (IDC) today reported that the worldwide smartwatch shipments recorded their first ever year-over-year decline in the second quarter of the year. Data from its latest Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker indicates that shipments dropped 32% from 5.1 million units in Q2 2015 […]

IDC: Smart eyewear and clothing to account for 15% of wearables shipments by 2020

Graph - Going up

IDC‘s latest Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker reconfirms the market research firm’s prediction that global wearables shipments will continue to grow at a strong clip over the next few years. It predicts that they will hit 213.6 million units in 2020. Smartwatches and smarter watches (traditional watches offering some connected capabilities) will dominate the market but smart eyewear and clothing are expected to […]

Fitbit continues to dominate wearables market in Q1 2016

Fitbit Alta

Fitbit kicked off 2016 much as it finished 2015: At the top of the wearables market. It remained the top manufacturer in the wearables market in Q1 2016 as overall shipment volumes reached 19.7 million units, a 67.2% jumped from the 11.8 million units shipped in same quarter a year ago. While volumes grew as expected, the top five manufacturers list […]

Business Insider: Apple Watch to account for 40% of luxury watch market by 2020

Apple Watch

While the Apple Watch may have lost market share to other smartwatches in Q1 2016, its future prospects remain strong if one marketing firm is to be believed. A new study by Business Insider predicts that the Apple Watch will account for 40% of the luxury watch market (defined as watches that sell for US$350 or more) by 2020. The report […]

Apple Watch loses market share as smartwatch shipments soar in Q1 2016

Variety of smartwatches

While numbers are still relatively small, smartwatch shipments continue to pick up steam. Research firm Strategy Analytics today reported that global smartwatch shipments reached 4.2 million units in the first quarter of 2016. This is a sharp 223% increase from the from 1.3 million units shipped the same quarter a year ago but down sequentially (unsurprisingly) from the 8.1 million shipments in […]