UK Edition
China's Xiaomi takes lead over Apple as top seller of wearable technology globally
Chinese smartphone specialist Xiaomi has taken a lead over Apple as the world’s largest manufacturer of wearables, according to new figures from an industry analyst.
A report from the International Data Corporation found that Xiaomi took top position in the third quarter of 2018 following positive sales of its Mi Band 3, a fitness tracker.
Xiaomi’s push into markets such as India, Europe and the Middle East has been attributed to its overtaking of Apple.
The share of the company’s deliveries within its home market has dropped from 80pc to 61pc as its international expansion plans pick up pace.
The company’s success follows a growing interest in wearable devices globally this year, with third quarter shipments reaching 32 million units, up 21pc from the previous year. Xiaomi made its UK debut last month.
The wearables market has become increasingly competitive, with new products from the likes of Fitbit, Huawei and Samsung designed to give consumers access to a greater number of services.
"Many of the new basic wearables include features like notifications or simple app integrations that bleed into smartwatch territory. This has helped satiate consumer demand for more capable devices while also maintaining average selling prices," said Jitesh Ubrani senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers.
According to IDC, there is a push from the smartwatch market to delve more into healthcare, with the likes of Apple and Fitbit seeing it as “the next frontier for wearable brands to conquer”.
IDC said regulatory hurdles are set to be higher in the development of healthcare-based apps, making it more difficult for less reputable brands to get involved.
Apple released the latest iteration of its Apple watch during the quarter, which features an ECG sensor. However, IDC suggested that the newly launched product had yet to gain favour over its predecessor in terms of sales.
The Silicon Valley firm’s market share of wearables is estimated to sit at 13.1pc, versus Xiaomi with a 21.5pc share.
“China - the largest market for wearables and more than double the size of the U.S market - has grown thanks to strong device development and experimentation, low-cost products, and strong demand for basic devices to draw in new users,” said Ramon Llamas, research director for IDC’s wearables team.