The global wearable market will grow 44.4 percent to 111.1 million units in 2016 from the 80 million units expected in 2015.
The size of the wearable market will be 214.6 million units by 2019 – at a CAGR of 28 percent, IT market research agency IDC said.
“Smarter clothing, eyewear, and even hearables (ear-worn devices) are all in their early stages of mass adoption. The next generation of wearables are on track to offer vastly improved experiences and perhaps even augment human abilities,” said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers.
Smartwatches will have shipments of 32.3 million units in 2016 against 21.3 million units expected in 2015. By 2019, Smartwatches shipments will reach 88.3 million units, resulting in a five-year CAGR of 42.8 percent.
Apple watchOS will lead the smartwatch market throughout the forecast, with a fan-base of Apple product owners and a growing application selection, including both native apps and Watch-designed apps.
Android / Android Wear will be a distant second behind watchOS even as its vendor list grows to include technology companies such as ASUS, Huawei, LG, Motorola, and Sony and watchmakers Fossil and Tag Heuer.
Smartwatch pioneer Pebble will cede market share to AndroidWear and watchOS but will not disappear altogether.
Samsung’s Tizen poses a threat to Android Wear in the smartwatch market.