Wearable tech isn’t wearing out its welcome anywhere in the world.
According to mHealthWatch, Canalys has just published country level quarterly estimates that show a total of 2.7 million wearable bands shipped worldwide in Q1 2014. And guess who shipped the most? Fitbit once again maintained its leadership position with nearly 50% market share, Canalys finds.
The independent analyst company segments the wearables market into two categories: basic and smart bands. Fitbit continued to ship most of the units in the basic band segment, despite the allergy-related recall of the Fitbit Force.
“While a significant number of Force bands had shipped, the recall only affected the initial roll-out in the US and Canada,” the report summary reads. “The issue was handled well and did not dramatically slow the company’s sales momentum.”
All told, Fitbit’s success speaks volumes about the underlying health of the wearables market.
“Some industry observers are wondering if the wearables market is a failure, but Canalys believes the current dynamics instead reflect the rapidly changing nature of wearable devices,” says Research Analyst Joe Kempton. “More sophisticated sensor technology designed specifically for wearables will be arriving soon. New devices running Android Wear will launch this summer from LG and other vendors, such as Motorola, which is now poised to re-enter the smart band market after exiting it two years ago.”
