IDC has released data on market shares of wearables in the Middle East and Africa. Shipments of Q1 were up 30.2% year on year.
While shipments of basic wearables (devices that do not support third-party applications) increased 16.8% YoY, it was the growth of smart wearables (devices that do support third-party applications) that provided much of the market’s momentum, with shipments up 64.9% YoY. This marks a considerable turnaround for the market, with Samsung’s Gear S3 line of smart watches and Apple’s Series 1 and Series 2 smart watch offerings being particularly well received in the market, both by first-time buyers and consumers looking to upgrade.
“The MEA wearables market is in the midst of a major transformation,” says Nakul Dogra, a senior research analyst for personal computing, systems, and infrastructure solutions at IDC MEA. “Indeed, we are seeing an evolution of the market from fitness bands to smart wearables such as watches, earwear, and clothing. IDC expects that by the end of 2021, smart wearables will account for 43% of total wearables shipments in the region, up from just 26% in 2016.
IDC expects the MEA wearables market to grow 20.9% YoY in 2017 to reach a total of 2.9 million units. The smart wearables segment will continue to be the prime driver of this growth, with shipments tipped to increase 52.0% YoY. In the longer term, IDC’s latest forecast shows the market expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% over the 2016–2021 period.
