IDC: Apple still No. 1 in wearables (wrists and ears)

From IDC Reports Strong Growth in the Worldwide Wearables Market, Led by Holiday Shipments of Smartwatches, Wrist Bands, and Ear-Worn Devices:

Among the various form factors available during the quarter, smartwatches grew 55.2% compared to 4Q17 and accounted for 34.3% of the overall market during the quarter. Meanwhile, wrist bands accounted for 30% of the market as recent launches from Xiaomi, Huawei, and Fitbit continued to drive the category forward. Ear-worn devices grew 66.4% and captured 21.9% of the market…

“Smartwatches, meanwhile, grew 54.3% and accounted for 29.8% of all wearable device shipments in 2018,” said Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC’s Wearables. “Apple accounted for nearly half the market and followed by a long list of companies that posted double- and triple-digit growth. What resulted from this was a growing list of devices available at multiple price-points to meet the needs of a diverse market.”

Apple maintained the number 1 position with 16.2 million devices shipped in 4Q18, 10.4 million of which were Apple Watches. The Series 4 has been off to a very strong start and IDC anticipates this to continue as more healthcare organizations and consumers adopt the latest device. The remainder of Apple’s shipments were comprised of AirPods and Beats headphones in the ear-worn category.

Cue the spreadsheets (click to enlarge):

My take: Apple’s Other Products had a good Christmas. But spare me the unit sales estimates, which mix apples with exercise bands. Shares of wearable revenue and profits would be more interesting.