Connected wearable shipments to reach 168 million in 2019

Shipments of connected wearables reached 19 million in 2014, up from 5.9 million the previous year, according to new research from Berg Insight.

With a compound annual growth rate of 54.7%, total shipments of connected devices – from smartwatches to fitness and activity trackers – is forecast to reach 168.2 million in 2019.

Fitness and activity trackers is the largest device category, with shipments reaching 13 million in 2014. Decreasing prices and new form factors are expected to help connected fitness devices reach 42 million shipments in 2019.

However, as new players enter the smartwatch market, improved devices and different price segments are predicted to drive adoption over the next five years to see smartwatches become the largest device category.

While shipments of smart glasses, such as Google Glass, have been modest so far, “promising use cases in specific markets such as enterprise and medical, as well as niche segments of the consumer market” are expected to help the device category become the third largest of connected wearables in the next five years.