Smartwatch shipments to hit 20.1m by year-end

Global smartwatch shipment is expected to reach 20.1 million units at the end of 2016, a new forecast by the International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed.

According to IDC worldwide quarterly wearable device tracker, smartwatch shipment in 2016 will see an increase of 3.9 per cent from the 19.4 million units shipped in 2015.

However, it said new smartwatch shipments are expected to see only modest growth for the rest of 2016 due to late-in-the-year and iterative product releases.

IDC expects total smart wearable volumes to reach 21.5 million units shipped in 2016. Smart wearable those that can run third party applications, which also includes devices such as smart glasses and certain wristbands. By volume, smartwatches account for the largest part of the category, and are expected to reach a total value of $17.8 billion dollars in 2020.