According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytics.com), global smart watch shipments reached a record two million units in 2013. Android captured 61% share of all smart watches shipped worldwide and it is commanding an early lead over rivals, according to the research group.
“Global smart watch shipments reached a record 1.9 million units in 2013,” Matt Wilkins, director at Strategy Analytics, says. “It is very early days, of course, but the smart watch market is starting to take shape. We estimate less than 1% of all smartphones shipped worldwide were bundled with smart watches in 2013, so there remains huge scope for smart watch growth in the future.”
Woody Oh, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, adds: “Android currently has several challengers in the smart watch space, like Firefox and Pebble OS, but none of them are a major threat at this stage because of their relatively limited ecosystems and modest retail presence. Android’s main risk to its smart watch dominance in the future will come from Apple iOS, Microsoft, and perhaps Tizen or COS. These four brands have the potential scale or marketing power to offer a credible alternative to Google’s popular platform.”
