Connected socks to give wearables market a kick

Smart-connected clothing one of many areas to drive booming wearables market

Smart-connected devices such as socks, hats and shirts will be among key drivers of the wearable tech market in the future, according to IDC.

By the end of this year, vendors will ship a total of 45.7 million wearable units, up 133.4 per cent from 2014. By 2019, shipments will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 45.1 per cent to 126.1 million units.

IDC said the Apple Watch will be a key driver of the smart-wearable market – which differs from the basic-wearables market in that smart devices can host third-party apps. The smart-wearable market will see shipments reach the 25.7 million mark this year, up a massive 510.9 per cent from last year.

The basic-wearable market will grow 30 per cent over the same period to 20 million devices.

The third-largest growth market for the wearables industry will be smart-connected clothing, with socks, shirts and hats mooted as the most likely candidates to get a technological makeover.

By 2019, IDC predicts 5.6 million items of smart-connected clothing will be shipped, giving the category a market share of 4.5 per cent.

But it said the wearables market will be led by the Apple Watch initially.

"Smart wearables are about to take a major step forward with the launch of the Apple Watch this year," said Ramon Llamas, research manager of IDC's wearables team.

"The Apple Watch raises the profile of wearables in general and there are many vendors and devices that are eager to share the spotlight. Basic wearables, meanwhile, will not disappear. In fact, we anticipate continued growth here as many segments of the market seek out simple, single-use wearable devices."