Launch of Apple Watch will boost wearables shipments

Analyst house IDC says shipments will reach 46 million units in 2015

Thanks to the encouragement by the Apple Watch, the wearable industry is most likely going to see a boost in the coming months as the shipments are expected to reach an all time high of 45.7 million units for this year. With the growth expected to continue for the coming years, it is expected that the shipment level in 2019 would grow to reach as much as 126 million units.

According to analyst house IDC‘s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker report, a 133 percent shipment growth is expected which is an increase from 19.6 million units shipped in 2014. This increase is likely to come forth as a result of a combination of new devices, more vendors and greater end-user awareness. The key players in the market’s growth are going to be Apple Watch, Samsung Gear and Moto 360 which run on third party apps.

Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC’s wearables team, has stated that the launch of the Apple Watch this year is going to be historical for the market of wearables. The watch is going to increase the awareness level of this kind of technology and consequently it will also raise the adoption rate of wearables. “The Apple Watch raises the profile of wearables in general and there are many vendors and devices that are eager to share the spotlight,” he said.

Fitness bands, which are the most basic kinds of the wearable technology, will also likely see a 30 percent jump according to the IDC forecasts. Llamas says that “Basic wearables, meanwhile, will not disappear. In fact, we anticipate continued growth here as many segments of the market seek out simple, single-use wearable devices.”

IDC reports that out of all the wearables, the wrist-worn are going to take over the market and will constitute a major chunk (almost 90 percent) of the total wearables shipped this year. The remaining wearable devices which include eyewear, clothing and modular devices will also see an increase in their shipments during the coming four years as awareness takes a toll.