IDC: smart wearable market slows, Apple Watch widens lead

It was a slow quarter for wearables – IDC’s latest report shows that the segment grew only 1.2%, reaching a total of 25.1 million units. Higher-priced smart wearables from Apple, Fitbit and fashion brands did show promise, however.

Apple Watch shipments grew 13.5% year over year as the cellular version of the watch expanded to new markets and carriers took to it with enthusiasm.

Xiaomi is in second in terms of market share, but it took in only 1.8% of the money – it has the lowest average selling price of the Top 5 brands.

The Versa enjoyed some success and helped Fitbit maintain its third spot, despite a sharp decline in shipments (nearly 30%). Female-focused health tracking features have proven popular and are used by over 2 million users.

Huawei and its youth-oriented sub-brand Honor hold forth place with a wide selection of smartwatches and other smart devices that cater to anyone from kids to fitness enthusiasts. Huawei’s market share doubled compared to last year, though its success remains mostly constrained to Asia.

IDC criticizes Garmin for being slow to adopt the features of other smartwatch platforms, but launching Garmin Pay and music playback did increase the popularity of its products.

Interestingly, smart clothing saw a solid 58.6% growth year over year, though it’s still the early days – smart watches and bands account for 95% of the smart wearable market.

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