IDC says Fitbit is the world’s top vendor of fitness trackers for the first quarter of 2015, with Chinese Xiaomi in a strong second thanks to its $15 Mi Band. Overall, the world market for trackers was 11.4 million, up 200 percent from the year previous.
IDC analysts say that 40 percent of trackers sold in the first quarter sold for under $100 — not surprising given the strength of the Mi Band in its home market. Overall, Fitbit’s share was 3.9 million units sold and 34.2 percent of the market. Xiaomi sold 2.8 million units for a 24.6 percent share. Garmin (700.000/6.1 percent), Samsung (600,000/5.3 percent) and Jawbone (500,000/4.4 percent) rounded out the top five.
Although everyone’s market share but Xiaomi’s dropped from the year previous, shipment volumes in the first quarter were all twice or more what they were the year previous.
The great unknown, of course, is Apple, which began shipping the Apple Watch at the beginning of the second quarter. The Watch was projected to sell 15-20 million units this year; its initial sales backlog is reportedly going to be cleared by the end of this month, which coincides with the end of the second quarter.