Recently, Canalys has released a new report predicting that personal audio will be the fastest-growing category of smart devices in the next few years. However, smartphones will continue to maintain their position as leading smart devices.
Analysts said that by 2023, global smart device shipments will reach 3 billion units, compared with 2.4 billion in 2019. Half of them (1.5 billion units) will be smartphones, showing modest but sustained growth. At the same time, personal computers, laptops, and tablets will decline.
The second category is smart personal audio. This includes everything from true wireless headphones (TWS) to headphones. It is expected that 726 million units will be shipped by 2023.
In the short term, Canalys estimates that personal audio shipments will reach 490 million units this year, an increase of 32.1% over last year. In the chart below, the horizontal axis represents growth from 2019 to 2020. And the vertical axis represents long-term development from 2018 to 2023.
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Larger audio accessories, smart speakers, will be the second fastest-growing category. Shipments are up 21.7%, and manufacturers are expected to ship 150 million units this year.
By the end of this year, the Apple AirPod and the Apple Watch businesses are expected to exceed Mac and iPad revenue. However, Canalys pointed out that Apple will have to face challenges from other manufacturers.
‘There is no ‘one-size fits all’ for ambient computing. Each vendor must take their own goal, capabilities and target audiences into account while they pick the right strategy. But there are many big bets to be made, especially for vendors new to this game,‘ said Canalys VP of Mobility Nicole Peng.
