NO PUSHOVER: Xiaomi shipped 2.8 million wearables worldwide between January and March, accounting for 24.6% of the market.
Chinese firm Xiaomi has gone from zero to hero during its first nine months on the wearable devices market, after releasing the inexpensive Mi Band midway through 2014.
Its US$14.99 (RM55.80) water-resistant band acts as pedometer, sleep quality analyst, and nonintrusive alarm clock and was released in China before arriving in the US, Britain, Germany and France via the brand's online store.
Having shipped 2.8 million wearables worldwide between January and March, a figure accounting for 24.6% of the market, Xiaomi became second only to Fitbit (3.9 million, 34.2%), the Californian company which introduced its first Fitbit Tracker in 2008.
Industry analysis firm IDC produced a top five list that compared market share at the end of 2015's first quarter -- January to March -- with the same period of 2014.
Garmin shipped 700,000 wearables (6.1%), Samsung 600,000 (5.3%), and Jawbone 500,000 (4.4%). All four of the established manufacturers achieved over 100% growth.
A total of 11.4mil wearables were shipped in the first three months of 2015, with other manufacturers accounting for 2.9 million or 25.4% of the market.
Crucially, though, the ranking omits Apple, whose Apple Watch was only released toward the end of April, and immediately sold an estimated one million units upon opening to pre-orders.
"We now see over 40% of the devices priced under US$100 (RM370)," said IDC senior research analyst Jitesh Ubrani. "Despite this price erosion, Apple's entrance with a product priced at the high end of the spectrum will test consumers' willingness to pay a premium for a brand or product that is the center of attention."
— AFP Relaxnews
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
