• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

3

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

3

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
TechApple

IDC: Apple Watch to Dominate Smartwatch Market Through 2019

By
Jason Cipriani
Jason Cipriani
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jason Cipriani
Jason Cipriani
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 17, 2015, 12:36 PM ET
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook gestures as he unveils the Apple Watch during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino
Apple Chief Executive (CEO) Tim Cook gestures as he unveils the Apple Watch during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) - RTR45LGFPhotograph by Stephen Lam — Reuters

The International Data Corporation (IDC) on Thursday published a report detailing how it expects the wearable market to take shape through 2019.

According to IDC, the wearable market—which includes fitness trackers and smartwatches—will pass 111.1 million shipped devices in 2016, up from 80 million units shipped in 2015.

By 2019, IDC expects that number to nearly double, with vendors shipping some 214 million wearable devices.

Senior research analyst for mobile device trackers at IDC Jitesh Ubrani noted that wearables of the future will come in different form factors, saying “[s]marter clothing, eyewear, and even hearables (ear-worn devices) are all in their early stages of mass adoption.” He continued, “Though at present these may not be significantly smarter than their analog counterparts, the next generation of wearables are on track to offer vastly improved experiences and perhaps even augment human abilities.”

The report then turns its attention to smartwatches, the wrist-worn gadgets that double as an activity tracker and notification system on a user’s wrist. Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC’s wearables team, echoes sentiments expressed by AT&T Mobility (T) CEO Glen Lurie about the future of smartwatches.

“The smartwatch we have today will look nothing like the smartwatch we will see in the future,” Llamas said. He continued, “Cellular connectivity, health sensors, not to mention the explosive third-party application market all stand to change the game and will raise both the appeal and value of the market going forward.”

And leading the way will be the Apple Watch.

MORE: What Steve Jobs Knew About the Apple Watch

IDC estimates Apple’s (AAPL) smartwatch market share in 2015 at 61.3%, followed by Google’s (GOOG) Android Wear platform at 15.2%, with Pebble coming in third at 8.6%. Shipment estimates are 13 million, 3.2 million, and 1.8 million, respectively.

Over the next three years, IDC expects Apple to hold on to the top spot. In 2019, the firm expects Apple to ship 45.2 million Apple Watches, with Android Wear reaching 34.3 million, and Samsung’s Tizen smartwatch line reaching 2.5 million devices. Those shipment numbers translate to a market share of 51.1%, 38.8%, and 2.8% respectively.

Smartwatch maker Pebble is expected to ship 2.3 million devices in 2019, with 2.6% market share. It’s an increase of half a million devices shipped when compared to 2015. Though, it will see a 6% decrease of its market share over the four-year time period. On Tuesday, Pebble updated its lineup with native step counting and sleep tracking support—a feature the company’s lineup had long lacked.

As for the overall wearable market, another recent IDC report had Fitbit (FIT) leading in market share, with Apple in a close second.

Make sure to sign up for Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

For more about the Apple Watch, watch this Fortune video:

About the Author
By Jason Cipriani
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Elon Musk stands behind the Nasdaq opening bell and in front of a "SpaceX" background.
Future of WorkElon Musk
Despite his new trillionaire status, Elon Musk says money ‘will stop being relevant’ in the future because of AI
By Sasha RogelbergJune 12, 2026
48 minutes ago
AI was supposed to cut health care costs. One of its first jobs was charging you more, PwC report shows
AIHealth Care Service
AI was supposed to cut health care costs. One of its first jobs was charging you more, PwC report shows
By Whizy Kim and Tech BrewJune 12, 2026
1 hour ago
paul
AIWorld Cup
Machine learning gives the U.S. a 1% chance of winning the World Cup final in its own backyard
By Achim Zeileis and The ConversationJune 12, 2026
1 hour ago
DoorDash wants you to stop scrolling and just tell its new AI chatbot what you’re hungry for
RetailDoorDash
DoorDash wants you to stop scrolling and just tell its new AI chatbot what you’re hungry for
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewJune 12, 2026
2 hours ago
Man in a blue shirt gesturing
AIBrainstorm Tech
AOL cofounder Steve Case on AI— major upside, real risk, and ‘probably a net negative’ for jobs
By Amanda GerutJune 12, 2026
2 hours ago
Astronaut costumes, teenage crypto millionaires, and a $300 million bet: Scenes from the SpaceX IPO
AISpaceX
Astronaut costumes, teenage crypto millionaires, and a $300 million bet: Scenes from the SpaceX IPO
By Eva RoytburgJune 12, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
3 days ago
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Investing
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
9 hours ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
Success
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
By Catherina GioinoJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 12, 2026
7 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.