AirPods and Apple WatchSource: iMore

What you need to know

  • Apple was once again kind of wearables in Q1.
  • According to new data, it shipped 21.2 million units.
  • That gave it a 29.3% market share.

New data from IDC suggests that Apple shipped 21.2 million wearables in Q1, giving it a 29% market share for the quarter.

According to the new report:

Apple was once again the top wearables company with a 29.3% share and 21.2 million units. While Apple Watch shipments declined due to difficulties in the supply chain, the strength of the Beats and Airpods lineup was more than enough to offset the negative growth.

The closest competitor to Apple was Huawei, which shipped 10.1 million units total, taking a 14% market share.

Overall, the wearables market grew by 29.7% year on year, despite a predicted downturn due to COVID-19. Concerning the market as a whole, the report notes:

Global shipments of wearable devices grew 29.7% year over year during the first quarter of 2020 (1Q20) as total device volume reached 72.6 million units according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. However, the growth was disproportionately spread across the various form factors as growth in wristbands and earwear/hearables was more than enough to offset the decline from smart and basic watches.

Shipments of Watches (basic and smart) actually fell by 7.1% compared to the same period as last year. However, despite this, the strong performance of wristbands and headphones propelled the market to grow. The demand for the latter was in part driven by consumers "clamoring" for better audio playback to increase lockdown productivity, with consumers valuing noise-canceling solutions to help reduce unwanted background noise. Apple's Beats and AirPods lineup likewise helped propel Apple to growth, despite a drop in Apple Watch shipments caused by supply chain difficulties.