Canalys: Only 720,000 Android Wear units were shipped in 2014; Pebble and FitBit still on top

A new Canalys report reveals that out of the total 4.6 million smart wear bands shipped last year, over 720,000 devices were powered by Google’s Android Wear. That’s quite a small number compared to the overall devices shipped. The report points out that in spite of the supply constrained through 2014, Motorola’s **Moto 360** seems to be the leader among Android Wear vendors. LG’s round **G Watch R** has also reportedly performed better than its original G Watch. [caption id=“attachment_230680” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  LG G Watch R[/caption] A total of 1 million units of the popular **Pebble smartwatch** were shipped from the 2013 launch through to the end of 2014. The timely software updates, more apps and price cuts are believed to have helped with its sales in the second half of the year. Fitbit is the global leader in the basic wearable band market, adds the report. Talking about Samsung, which has launched several smartwatches, Canalys VP and Principal Analyst Chris Jones said, “Samsung has launched six devices in just 14 months, on different platforms and still leads the smart band market. But it has struggled to keep consumers engaged and must work hard to attract developers while it focuses on Tizen for its wearables.” Xiaomi that follows a totally different strategy compared to other vendors, managed to ship over a million units of its colouful and basic Mi Band.This number is inclusive of its one-day flash sale of over 103,000 units. [caption id=“attachment_231750” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Mi Band in this photo.[/caption] “Though the **Mi Band** is a lower-margin product than competing devices, Xiaomi entered the wearables market with a unique strategy, and its shipment volumes show how quickly a company can become a major force in a segment based solely on the size of the Chinese market,’ said Canalys Research Analyst Jason Low. Obviously, now all eyes are the upcoming **Apple Watch** that is expected to launch by April.