Singapore-based leading global technology market analyst firm Canalys has revealed that Chinese multinational electronics company Xiaomi has overtaken American technology giant Apple to become the top-shipping wearable band vendor in the second quarter of 2021.
According to its data, the worldwide wearables market saw a modest 6 percent increase in shipments in the quarter ending in June, with 40.9 million units shipped. On the other hand, Apple dominated the smartwatch market by a wide majority.
The report stated that the demand for smartwatches continued to surpass the demand for fitness bands in this quarter, continuing a pattern that began in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Xiaomi surpassed Apple to take the lead in the wearables industry with a 19.6 percent share of global shipments in the second quarter of 2021. According to the report, the launch of the Mi Band 6 bolstered Xiaomi’s performance.
“Xiaomi made a wise move to hasten the release of the Mi Band 6, which is a more compelling device than its predecessor. Xiaomi’s quick pivot to basic watches also helped the company boost its wristwatch shipments by 1.3 million units this quarter,” said Ms. Cynthia Chen, Research Analyst at Canalys.
Mr. Jason Low Canalys Research Manager commented, “Vendors are attempting to make a big generational leap in smartwatch technologies. To stand out, they are improving the fundamentals, such as user experience and battery life, creating their own distinct UIs and leveraging their respective ecosystems to draw out new and unique use cases.”
Apple shipped 7.9 million units and held an overall market share of 19.6 percent for the second stop. Furthermore, Chinese multinational technology company Huawei remained in third place with 3.7 million shipments and a 9.2 percent market share.
Related: Apple eases App Store payment policy for ‘reader apps’ in deal with Japan
