FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 14, 2015 — A growing list of vendors, a proliferation of devices, experiences, and price points, and steady consumer adoption will fuel growth in the worldwide market for wearable devices. According to the International Data Corporation ( IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, wearable device shipments will reach 76.1 million units in 2015, up 163.6% from the 28.9 million units shipped in 2014. By 2019, worldwide shipments will reach 173.4 million units, resulting in a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.9%. Total shipments include both basic and smart wearables, which are two very different product categories in many aspects.

"Smart wearables only account for about a third of the total market today while basic wearables, led by fitness trackers, account for the rest," said Jitesh Ubrani, Senior Research Analyst for IDC's Mobile Device Trackers. "Driven by advancements in user interface (UI) and features, smart wearables are on track to surpass the lower priced, less functional basic wearable category in 2018. Smart wearables will quickly move from a smartphone accessory primarily focused on notifications to a more advanced wearable computer capable of doing more processing on its own."

Driving the market and gaining attention is smart wristwear, including watches and bands, which are capable of running third-party applications. This includes the Apple Watch, Motorola's Moto 360, Samsung's Gear S-series, and Pebble's Time. "We are at a stage now where more vendors are getting into this segment, setting the stage for more selection and ultimately more volumes," said Ramon Llamas, Research Manager, Wearables. "Potential buyers wary of what is currently available will most likely be more interested once the second- and third-generation devices come to market with improved hardware and applications. From there, word-of-mouth and user-ambassadors will help to spur interest.

"Looking ahead, customers will need to pay close attention to the different operating systems that power smart wristwear," added Llamas. "Different smart wristwear operating systems are compatible with certain smartphone operating systems, and sometimes with specific models. Beyond that, experiences and available applications will widely vary. Just as competition exists for different smart wristwear models, this competition carries over into the operating system landscape."

Smart Wristwear Operating System Highlights:

watchOS, in its first year on the market, will quickly establish itself as the overall leader in the smart wristwear market and maintain its position throughout our forecast. IDC expects second and third generations of the Apple Watch will drive shipment volumes later in the forecast, particularly among those customers who take a wait-and-see approach. It will, however, see its market share erode as other platforms – particularly Android Wear – gain greater salience in the market.

Android/Android Wear will experience market-beating growth, with a combination of consumer electronics heavyweights and an expanding list of watchmaker brands also expected to launch their own smart watches in the years to come. Also helping Android/Android Wear's cause is the broader and deeper selection of devices at multiple price points that will appeal to a wide audience.

Pebble, one of the pioneers of the smart wristwear market, will see its market share decline even as overall volumes grow. Competitive headwinds from watchOS and Android/Android Wear will keep its overall growth in check, but its low prices, compatibility with Android and iOS-powered smartphones, and avid fan base will sustain its presence.

Tizen stands to be the dark-horse platform in the market. With Samsung opening up the Tizen SDK and making its Gear S2 and subsequent devices compatible with flagship smartphones from other Android OEMs, the total available market for Samsung has opened up significantly. Still, as a current small player in the market, Tizen must win over customers currently looking at other watches available for Android smartphones.

Linux jumped into the smart wristwear market in 2014, but since then few vendors have come forward to use it as the basis of their wearables strategy. Without any foreseeable additional support, IDC believes that OEMs will favor other platforms over Linux.

There will be a small, but nonetheless significant market for smart wristwear running on a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), which is capable of running third-party applications, but not on any of these listed platforms. These tend to be proprietary operating systems and OEMs will use them when they want to champion their own devices. These will help within specific markets or devices, but will not overtake the majority of the market.

Top Five Smart Wristwear Operating Systems Shipments, Market Share, and 5-Year Growth Rate
(Units in Millions)
Smart Wristwear OS			2015 Shipments			2015 Market Share				2019 Shipments			2019 Market Share				2015-2019 CAGR
watchOS			13.9			58.3	%			40.3			47.4	%			30.6	%
Android/Android Wear			4.1			17.4	%			32.6			38.4	%			67.5	%
Pebble OS			2.1			8.7	%			2.6			3.1	%			6.4	%
RTOS			2.0			8.3	%			7.6			9.0	%			40.1	%
Tizen			1.6			6.7	%			1.8			2.2	%			3.7	%
Other			0.1			0.6	%			0.0			0.0	%			-100.0	%
Total			23.8			1.0				85.1			1.0				37.5	%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, September 14, 2015

In addition to the table above, an interactive graphic showing worldwide market share by product category for the 2014-2019 forecast period is available here. The chart is intended for public use in online news articles and social media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com.

About IDC Trackers

IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and on-line query tools. The IDC Tracker Charts app allows users to view data charts from the most recent IDC Tracker products on their iPhone and iPad. The IDC Tracker Chart app is also available for Android Phones and Android Tablets.

For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC.

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