There are already several models of Apple AirPods that we have on the market, with classic versions such as the second generation AirPods or the AirPods Pro, but also with a headband with the AirPods Max. All of them, added to the Beats that are also owned by the company, mean that Californians have continued to dominate the market in 2020, as we analyze below.
AirPods and Beats: Leader and Best Selling in 2020
With the purchase of Beats in 2014 and the release of the first AirPods in 2016, Apple has fully entered the market for wireless headphones and the truth is that it is doing very well if we see its evolution. According to the latest study shared by Canalys, the Cupertino company experienced an increase in sales last year reaching 108.9 million shipments . This represents an increase of almost 30% compared to what it obtained in 2019.
In terms of market share , the company has also managed to improve its 2019 data, going from 23.3% in that year to 25.2% in 2020 . These total figures were improved by an excellent fourth quarter in which the company, counting only those last three months, reached 37.3 million shipments, a growth of 26% compared to the previous year in which precisely the AirPods Pro. The initial pull of the AirPods Max was likely to have an effect, although these were launched in mid-December with the quarter on the verge of closing.
So are Apple’s competitors
There are big brands that compete with Apple in the telephony sector and that also do it when we talk about headphones. In the second position of the ranking we find Samsung , which, adding its Harman subsidiaries, managed to send up to 38.3 million headphones. And despite having sold more than in 2019, the Korean brand saw its market share diminish, going from 10.3% to 8.9% in 2020 in one year.
Other companies such as Xiaomi , Sony or Edifier are further away with market shares of 5.9%, 3.5% and 2.8% respectively. All of them sent more units during 2020 compared to 2019, with the exception of Sony, which saw this figure decrease. Curious about the Japanese brand if we consider that it launched the WH1000XM4, one of the most popular headband headphones on the market and that it has received such good reviews.
The Apple Watch had it more complicated
The Canalys report also confirms another piece of information that was already known from other sources and that is that Apple also again dominated the smartwatch market in the fourth quarter of 2020, although in the total year it was overtaken by Xiaomi . The popular activity bands of the Chinese brand make it take the first position with a 20.3% market share, relegating Apple to a second position with 19%. Both companies shipped 37.7 and 35.2 million units respectively.
Other brands such as Huawei, Fitbit or Samsung also appear in this ranking, but behind Xiaomi and Apple. Despite the fact that growth forecasts in the sector were not met due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies managed to experience growth in sales at a global level that marks 9.9% more shipments than in 2019.
