Wearable shipments passed 100 million in the first quarter, according to a study from IDC, which said growth came largely from smaller companies. Global shipments reached 104.6 million, an increase of 34.4 percent from the 77.8 million shipped the year.
"Larger companies have certainly drawn attention to the worldwide wearables market, yet it is the smaller companies fueling growth," IDC said, adding that these companies focus on specific markets and different services. For example, BoAt, in fifth place worldwide, succeeded by concentrating on the Indian market, where it generated triple-digit growth; Oura, a fitness tracking ring, got picked up by major sports teams and consumers. This pushed the Others category to jump 55.5 percent in the quarter.
Apple topped the market, even though its share slipped to 28.8 percent from 32.3 percent year-on-year. Samsung came next, with a share virtually unchanged at 11.3 percent from 11.2 percent. Xiaomi came in third, though its share also dipped lower, to 9.7 percent form 13.3 percent. Huawei’s shares was stable at 8.2 percent from 8.4 percent while BoAt lifted its market share to 2.9 percent from 0.9 percent. The market share of others climbed to 39.1 percent from 33.9 percent.
