If currently,more and more brandsare launching wireless earphones, it's because it's a growing market. Moreover, in 2020, while sales of smartphones declined, those of wireless headphones continued to grow.
And in this market, Apple continues to be the leader. According to data recently published by the company Counterpoint, the Cupertino company's share of wireless earphone shipments in the third quarter was 29%.
Apple, still number one despite the arrival of new competitors with affordable products
Xiaomi was in second place, with a 13% share, followed by Samsung (5%), JBL (5%), and QCY (3%). It should also be noted that the realme brand, although it is still very new, is already in the top 10 for the third quarter, with a 2% share.
“Based on the latest figures from Counterpoint Research's TWS Market Tracker and Smartwatch Model Tracker, premium products continued to dominate, with Apple products accounting for 29% and 28% of TWS and smartwatch shipments in Q3 2020, respectively. », we can read in a press release from Counterpoint.
However, the company indicates that the more affordable product segment should not be underestimated. Moreover, in the third quarter of 2020, half of the brands in the Top 10 offered wireless headphones for less than $50 or even less than $20. On the other hand, Xiaomi, which sells affordable wireless earbuds, was number 2 in the quarter.
2021, a better year for connected watches
When it comes to connected watches, Counterpoint says demand is not expected to be impressive in 2020. However, it could increase this year.“Normalization of economies, coupled with increased interest in health and fitness, will help the smartwatch market grow. We expect low double-digit growth in the medium term – perhaps higher if average selling prices decline quickly”, says Counterpoint.
Normally, new players should arrive on the connected watch market in 2021, including OnePlus, which has already made theteasingof his OnePlus Watch. Otherwise, Apple will also face competition from Google.
Google has finally completed the acquisition of Fitbit (and its products capable of countering the Apple Watch)
Indeed, the Mountain View firm finallycould finalizethe acquisition of the Fitbit brand. This acquisition worth more than $2 billion was announced in 2019, but its validation by regulators (including the European Commission) took a long time.
Moreover, in order to obtain the necessary green lights, Google had to guarantee that health data on Fitbit will not be used for advertising purposes.“We have worked with global regulators on an approach that protects consumers' privacy expectations, including a series of binding commitments that confirm that Fitbit users' health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads and that this data will be separated from other data relating to Google ads », specifies Rick Osterloh, head of hardware at the Mountain View firm.
