Xiaomi Mi band is the world’s second most shipped wearable: IDC
Undoubtedly, Fitbit is the world leader in wearable devices which includes fitness devices, smartwatches and more. With the range of wearable devices in the market, Fitbit has managed to dominate the wearable market. The International Data Corporation (IDC) suggests that Xiaomi (Xiaomi’s Rs 999 ($15) Mi Band fitness band) is the second biggest wearable seller in the world, coming in just after Fitbit.
On Wednesday, June 3, IDC released a report stating that wearable device vendors shipped 11.4 million wearables in Q1 of 2015, which represents an increase of 200 percent in comparison to the same period in 2014. No wonder that Xiaomi is called the Apple of China with close to 2.8 million units of Mi bands being sold during the first quarter of 2015. Other companies like Garmin, Samsung, Jawbone and others seem to have lost their way somewhere with very less market share.
As per the Quartz report, “The product hit the market in last August in mainland China and from that time it spread to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. On Monday, the device hit US and UK Shores, among the first Xiaomi products to reach the West.”
The “Xiaomi Mi Band” is not truly a Xiaomi product, it has been made by Huami Technologies, a separate company with its own independent management. In addition to the Mi Band, Huami also makes Xiaomi’s smart scale.
Except for its routers, smart TVs and mobile handsets, all other products Xiaomi sells are made by third parties. Its strategy typically includes investing in these companies, providing them with extra resources, and Xiaomi handling the sales part.
