An International Data Corporation (IDC) report has identified the top shipper of wearables during the quarter.
The IDC has now released its “Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker” report, which identified the number of wearable technology devices that were shipped in Q1 of this year, saying that there were 11.4 million of these gadgets.
This marks a tremendous raise over the wearables from the same quarter last year, which was 3.8 million.
That represents a tremendous growth of 200 percent when it comes to the shipments of wearable technology. Moreover, the report also indicated that this growth in the industry appears to be relatively steady. Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers senior research analyst, Jitesh Ubrani, explained that “As with any young market, price erosion has been quite drastic. We now see over 40% of the devices priced under $100, and that’s one reason why the top 5 vendors have been able to grow their dominance from two thirds of the market in the first quarter of last year to three quarters this quarter.”
That said, wearable technology’s growth does not appear to be dependent on dropping prices.
The entrance of Apple with its Watch that is priced at a higher level has shown that there is some consumer interest in paying more in order to receive a product from a premium brand or one that is currently in the spotlight. What will be interesting is whether or not that consumer interest actually continues or if this represents a novelty that will wear off after a period of time.
The IDC report also pointed out that it was Fitbit that took the top spot in terms of its share of the wearable tech market. The data in the report indicated that the company was holding onto a hefty 34.2 percent of the total global wearables market.
During the first quarter of this year, Fitbit, alone, shipped 3.9 million of its devices. In second place was Xiaomi, which shipped a strong but notably lower 2.8 million units. Garmin and Samsung took the third and fourth spots on the list, respectively. The fifth place was grabbed onto by Jawbone.
The creators of the Lumafit have already generated a considerable following in Ireland.
When it comes to wearable technology in the fitness category, the exceptionally popular FitBit is currently the global leader, but a startup from Ireland called Zinc Software is hoping to challenge for that title with its Lumafit mobile device.
This new gadget is designed to help to help to coach users so that they will be able to power through their workouts.
For many people, trying to stay fit through regular activity and exercise isn’t a favorite activity. This helps to explain why wearable technology in this category has become as popular as it has. The Lumafit is hoping to provide consumers with a new and enhanced experience that will allow them to be able to remain motivated, active, and able to safely complete their daily workouts. It does so by providing users with a steady stream of different types of feedback and information, including heart rate, but also the intensity of a workout and an ability to view progress that is being made over time.
The Lumafit wearable technology was funded by three highly successful Kickstarter campaigns.
So far, Zinc Software has been able to explode beyond its three funding targets on that crowdfunding site. At the time of the writing of this article, the latest campaign target of $60,000 had already been reached and greatly exceeded, with more than a week left to go.
One of the main selling features that is likely to attract consumers is the low price point that has been attached to the device for early supporters. Backers at this point in the product development will be able to purchase the device for only $79, which is a solid price reduction compared to the $99 for which it is expected to retail.
Lumafit is unique in that it is not a fitness band that is worn around the wrist. Instead, it slips over the back of the ear and gently clips onto the lobe. This allows it to obtain a range of different types of feedback about a user’s activities, including various types of exercise movements, like pushups.
The team of developers behind this wearable technology is led by MIT Media Lab graduates Stephen and Darran Hughes. They came up with this unique workout motion and heart rate detecting tech that allows a user to track everything from intense workouts to meditation exercises.
