True Wireless Headphones Demand Up 182% in Q4 2018

Market research firm Futuresource Consulting released its latest Headphone Market Insights Report which highlights how consumer demand for 'true wireless' headphones was up 182% in Q4 2018. The global headphones market continued its meteoric rise in Q4 2018, with revenue growth outpacing unit shipments by a substantial margin. The firm’s latest headphones tracking quarterly report reveals worldwide Q4 headphones shipments grew by 5.5% in units and 54% in revenues year-on-year.

True wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds are driving innovation and creating a growth market. Total market revenues for the true wireless stereo earbuds (TWS) market are expected to reach almost $10 billion in 2019, outstripping all other headphone markets, according to the latest research from SAR Insight & Consulting, which reports "the market is expected to grow rapidly over the next 5 years accounting for more than 60% of all wireless stereo headphones shipped by 2023.”

Predicting that over 50% of all wireless headphones will incorporate Hearable Voice assistants, touch sensors and other interface technologies, a new report by Juniper Research forecasts that hearables will become the new standard for personal audio in under 5 years. The new report from Juniper has found that there will be an estimated 417 million hearables in use by 2022. This includes fitness-focused devices, hearing augmentation and purely audio-focused devices.

The headphones market continues its recent trend of solid growth in volumes and substantial growth in revenue. Units are projected to grow 4.1% this year to 377 million, to generate retail revenues worth $19.9bn, a sizable increase of 27% y-o-y. Headphones continue to be a dynamic market, as average price growth is accelerated by demand from consumers for new premium features and form factors such as true wireless and noise cancellation, which provide further strong growth opportunities for the future.

There were hardly any surprises at the Apple scheduled event in San Francisco. Just a sequential confirmation of all the rumors that had already been circulating for a while. This doesn’t mean that Apple didn’t deliver on the expected performance, design and the highest engineering level in all the new products announced, from the Apple Watch Series 2, to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, all the way to a full range of audio accessories from Apple and Beats, including the new wireless Airpods and the fact that we now have officially entered the “jackless age”.

German company Bragi anticipated the announcement of Apple’s headphone-jack free iPhone 7 with an announcement of its own. While some audio companies are targeting Lightning connectivity and the benefits of direct digital connection, Bragi decided to make the best use of its technology already developed for The Dash true wireless earbuds to create a new simpler model - The Headphone - focusing on compatibility with any Bluetooth device… including the iPhone.