When it comes to wearables, it is no secret that Fitbit is the market leader. To prove that point, the folks at IDC have published their latest numbers (via Engadget) which has revealed that not only has Fitbit maintained their lead, but they have also grown, widening the gap between them and the competition.
According to the IDC’s numbers, Fitbit now commands 23% of the wearables market, up to 21.4% last year. The company has also shipped 5.3 million units in Q3, an increase from Q3 2015 which was at 4.8 million. Fitbit’s closest competition is Xiaomi who commands 16.5% of the market, up by 0.1% from last year.
The rest of the competition are still pretty far behind, like Garmin, Apple, and Samsung, all of whom are in the single digits. In fact things appear to look pretty bad for Apple as last year they had 17.4% of the market, but this fell drastically to a mere 4.9%. According to the IDC, they suggest that this is because basic wearables are still more appealing than smartwatches.
According to Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC’s Wearables team, “As user tastes change, so will their needs. That’s the opportunity for smart wearables with multi-functionality and third-party applications, both for consumers and business users. To get there, we need to see more intuitive user interfaces, seamless user experiences, standalone connectivity, and applications that go beyond health and fitness and into personal and professional productivity.”
We wonder if Fitbit had taken that into consideration, especially with the rumors that they plan to acquire (or are in the process of acquiring) smartwatch maker Pebble.
Filed in . Read more about Fitbit, Fitness, Health, Smartwatch and Wearable Tech.