Smartwatch leader Apple and the largest VR device provider Meta will synchronize the release of new wearable devices in the second half of the year, followed by Samsung, Xiaomi and other brand manufacturers will also be released new products, the second half of the wearable equipment market will be an important new battlefield outside of smartphones.
According to Taiwan Economic Daily News, industry insiders believe that the global wearable device market as a whole continues to grow, the major brands will not give up easily, including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, and even Meta are expected to continue to launch new products. The main purpose is not to sell the hardware itself, but to enhance the brand value and sell more peripheral services.
According to a report by IDC, shipments of wearable devices will total 530 million units in 2021, up 20% year-on-year. Shipments are mainly bracelets and watches, of which Apple is far ahead of other competitors in the field of smart watches, Apple Watch market share in the fourth quarter of last year reached 35%, Xiaomi with 8.6% in second, Samsung 7.9% in third, Huawei market share of about 6.7%.
In terms of VR devices, IDC statistics, global AR/VR headset shipments last year 11.23 million units, up 92.1% year-on-year. Among them, VR device shipments exceeded 10.95 million units for the first time, reaching 10.95 million units, and it is estimated that this year’s VR device shipments will reach 15.73 million units, an increase of 43.6% year-on-year. Among them, the leading manufacturer of VR equipment Meta’s Oculus market share of up to 80%, and other competitors a big gap.
The report cited industry insiders pointed out that, as the first half of this year, there are not too many new wearable devices, the second half of the year, if the new products are expected to attract users to buy, but if inflation continues to affect the overall economy, wearable device sales may be discounted, the subsequent market still needs to be closely observed.
