Wearables To Continue Tracking 'Astounding' Growth With Rise of Smart Devices, Says IDC
“Astounding” demand for basic wearables has propelled the overall wearables category, which is expected to grow 173 percent this year to 72.1 million shipments, said an IDC quarterly tracker. Vendors including Fitbit and Xiaomi have lifted the market with sub-$100…
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basic wristbands that will show continued momentum through 2015, said IDC. In 2016, smart wearables capable of running third-party apps are expected to take the lead in the category, which IDC predicts will run at a compound annual growth rate of 43 percent through 2019. Smart wearable shipments are forecast to reach 33.1 million units in 2015, up from 4.2 million units last year, said IDC. Smart wearables including Apple Watch and Microsoft's HoloLens represent an "upcoming change in computing, and the transition from basic to smart wearables opens up a slew of opportunities for vendors, app developers, and accessory makers,” said analyst Jitesh Ubrani. A platform battle is looming among Android Wear, Tizen and watchOS, as each improves user interfaces, experiences and applications, said Ramon Llamas, IDC research manager. The competition will “raise the expectations of what a smart wearable can do,” he said.