Everywhere I turn I see Apple AirPods in ears of people walking around, so they must be doing something right -- so right, that Counterpoint Research estimates Apple will sell over 100 million AirPods in 2020.
Counterpoint Research points out that the wireless earbud market grew by over 50% in Q4 2019 alone, which saw average sales sitting at over 50 million units per quarter. Apple's own market share increased by 44% in Q4 2019, with Xiaomi coming in second place, Samsung in third.
The report goes into more depth about just how much Apple dominates with its AirPods, where in the $100 and above market Apple commands around 70% market share. This leaves Samsung, Jabra, Beats, Huawei, Sony, and others with what little is left after that. In the sub-$100 market Apple is not visible at all.
Counterpoint Research Senior Analyst Liz Lee said: "We expect Apple to sell more than 100m true wireless hearables in 2020, including AirPods Pros, to maintain their comfortable lead in the market. The real competition will be for second place, especially in the premium market; Samsung, which had success with Galaxy Buds last year, will need further upgrades to those expected in the Galaxy Buds Plus, including noise cancellation and other advanced features and designs, in order to beat its rivals".
