Fitbit, Jawbone, and Samsung are leading the smartband business, says the industry analysis shop Canalys, whose earlier work has impressed us. On a worldwide basis, the smartband market grew 684 percent from 1H13 to 1H14 — although Canalys doesn’t say if that’s units shipped or revenue.
Due to their relationships with distributors, Fitbit and Jawbone lead the basic wristband market, Canalys says, with Garmin’s Vivofit brand making a solid start. Samsung leads the smart wristband market, followed by Pebble and Sony. Samsung was cited for its aggressive product rollouts, and Pebble for its successful Pebble Steel line and app store.