A new IDC report reveals that global shipments of wearable devices grew 29.7% year over year during the first quarter of 2020 as total device volume reached 72.6 million units.

Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers: "The hearables category was seemingly resilient to the market-suppressing forces caused by COVID-19. Consumers were clamoring for these sophisticated earpieces not only for the ability to playback audio but also to help them increase productivity, as many of them were forced to work from home and sought ways to reduce surrounding noise while staying connected to their smartphones and smart assistants."

Apple was once again the top wearables company with 29.3% share and 21.2 million units. While Apple Watch shipments declined due to difficulties in the supply chain, the strength of the Beats and AirPods lineup was more than enough to offset the negative growth. For more, read the full IDC report. 

While Apple was the clear winner in wearables for Q1 2020, IDC's category is ridiculous and a way to water down Apple's true lead. In a PC category it would be like adding in tablets with toy tablets or a category for vehicles where they mix tricycles with Jaguar.

The method in which the statistics are calculated is created to keep Apple's massive lead in hearables via AirPods buried. Throwing in Xiaomi that sells toy-like wrist bands under $50 with Apple's high-end Apple Watch is simply asinine.