According to ABI, in 2013 Android-powered smart wearables accounted for 75 percent of all wearable device sales. With the rise of competing platforms, this is expected to decline to about 67 percent by the end of 2014. Additionally, the introduction of the Apple Watch in 2015 could even drag the figures to only 42 percent of all devices sold. On the one hand, this signals a significant decline in market position, but it also signals a likely uptick in Android wearable sales. Why?

The Apple Watch, while expected to sell at least 5 million units in 2015, is also expected to grow the category by capturing the market’s attention, which will result in significant improvements in existing product lines as well as additional sales. While ABI expects the number of wearable devices shipped to be 6 million units in 2014, the overall figure is expected to increase to about 15 million in 2015. With iOS wearables accounting for about 5.25 million units, this means that there will be as many as 6.3 million Android devices shipped in 2015, more than the total size of the market in 2014.