China makes strides in tablets, wearables to threaten conventional powerhouses

China makes strides in tablets, wearables to threaten conventional powerhouses. August. 05, 2017 07:17. by Sung-Gyu Kim sunggyu@donga.com.

Chinese companies are making strides not only in smartphones but also in the tablet PC and wearable device markets as well, emerging as threat to conventional powerhouses.

According to the U.S. market analysis firm Strategy Analytics on Friday, China’s Xiaomi ranked first in market share of the global wearable device market for the first time in the second quarter of the year. The company shipped 3.7 million units to account for 17.1 percent of the market. It saw its shipment increase by 700,000 and market share gain 2.1 percentage points year-on-year.

Xiaomi’s rise to No. 1 is owing to the popularity of its "Mi Band." The product comes with functions to measure heartbeat, number of steps taken, and vibration alert. The flagship product in the "fitness tracker" segment is enjoying global popularity thanks to simple design and affordable prices.

Huawei is an emerging leader in the tablet market. According to the U.S. market analysis firm IDC on Friday, Huawei, the world’s No. 3 player in tablet PC supply, saw its shipment jump by 47.1 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of this year. The company’s tablet shipment increased from 2.1 million units last year to 3 million this year.

The company is still lagging quite behind second-ranked Samsung Electronics, which shipped 6 million, but its gap versus Samsung is fast narrowing as the latter failed to increase supply. Samsung saw its shipment decline 0.08 percent in the period. In contrast, Apple, the world’s No. 1 player, saw its shipment rise by 14.7 percent year-on-year despite a slump in the tablet market, as the low-cost iPads gained popularity. Apple shipped 11.4 million units in the period.