But smartwatches gained more ground, with ownership rising from 14.3% to 17.4% between H1 2020 and H1 2021. The highest incidence of both devices was in the 25-to-34 cohort. As in prior years, internet users in middle- and higher-income households were also more likely to have either device.

In H1 2020, many of Poland’s internet users had little enthusiasm for smartwatches, smart wristbands, and other advanced digital gadgets—but the survey recorded a significant uptick this year. Nearly 23% of those polled in H1 2021 owned a smartwatch, with respondents ages 25 to 34 and those in affluent households at the forefront.

In Singapore, unlike most other countries, smartwatches and smart wristbands experienced rather different fortunes during the year. While smartwatch ownership climbed to 20.9% in H1 2021, penetration of smart wristbands dropped to 14.1%. In high-income households, ownership of both devices was notably greater.

Last year, we speculated that uptake of smartwatches and smart wristbands had stalled below 13%. In H1 2021, the picture was different: Nearly 20% of internet users owned a smartwatch, and almost 18% owned a smart wristband. Meanwhile, penetration of TV streaming sticks and similar devices approached 17%.

Smart devices are proliferating as digital formats overtake most traditional media. For the first time, more than half (52.5%) of internet users ages 16 to 64 owned a smart TV in H1 2021, versus 48.1% in H1 2020. Among individuals in high-income households, smart TV ownership passed 60% this year—though uptake in lower-income homes still lagged at 44.0%. Other smart devices also gained ground.

Smartwatches and smart wristbands posted gains too. As of H1 2021, 16.3% of internet users ages 16 to 64 owned a smartwatch, and 12.3% owned a smart wristband. Males and females were almost equally likely to own a smartwatch, while smart wristbands were much more widespread among females. Penetration of both devices was greatest in the most affluent homes.

As in many other countries, ownership of wearables and other smart devices has risen significantly. More than 1 in 10 internet users owned a smart wristband in H1 2021, and 16.0% had a smartwatch. Ownership of smart home products lagged well behind, however, at 7.6%. Voice assistants, by contrast, are already part of the everyday landscape for many of Brazil’s internet users.

Wearables and other smart devices had a mixed year. Nearly 25% of internet users owned a smartwatch in H1 2021, compared with 19.8% in H1 2020. Smart home products also saw an uplift in penetration, to 13.9%. Smart wristbands remained relatively unpopular, though; overall ownership stood at 14.3%, down from 14.7%.

For example, connected RPM devices like noninvasive sensors and medical grade smartwatches can help provide consistent health data and insights to nursing home staff. In turn, that can be used to provide better quality, timely care.

A new Nest update will make Google’s smart home devices compatible with the Matter smart home standard. The move could add momentum towards a push for a unified smart home ecosystem and presents Google with access to a quickly growing supply of smart devices.

However, a lot of the fitness data in these apps is difficult for users to export or encode into fitness tracking apps or wearables. Meta says that this fitness data will become syncable to the Oculus Mobile app on iOS and to the Apple Health App. "This means all your exercise stats, including your activities both in and out of VR, can be tracked and available in one place,” Meta said in a blog post.

As in many other countries, smartwatches were significantly more popular among Mexico’s internet users in H1 2021 than a year prior, and smartwatch penetration rates also remained higher than in most Latin American nations. In Mexico, 18.6% of respondents owned a smartwatch this year; penetration rates in Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia were 9.3%, 16.0%, and 14.8%, respectively.

See which health stats wearable users track

Affluent internet users are leading the adoption of smartwatches, smart wristbands, and smart home devices. Some 21.7% of internet users in Ireland owned a smart wristband in H1 2021, compared with 16.5% in H1 2020. Smartwatch ownership also jumped by several percentage points, to 20.5%. Both devices are entering the mainstream, especially among the more affluent.

Smartwatches had an even more successful year. In H1 2021, 18.3% of respondents owned a smartwatch, and penetration had passed 20% among younger adults and affluents. Even gaming consoles benefited from consumers’ changing priorities during the health crisis; penetration bounced back from a dip in 2020, to 39.1%. Social media and voice assistants got more attention in this year’s survey.

Several smart devices, including wristbands and smart home products, are nearing the mainstream. Ownership of smartwatches and smart wristbands rose to 19.3% and 19.8%, respectively, in H1 2021. Penetration of games consoles also grew slightly, to 12.4%.

Nearly 19% of male and 13.7% of female internet users owned a smartwatch in H1 2021. In both groups, penetration rose by about 3 percentage points from 2020. Respondents in affluent households were most likely to own a smartwatch, at 21.9%. In 2020, the greatest uptake of smart home products—such as remotely controlled appliances and security systems—was among the youngest internet users.

More internet users had invested in smartwatches and smart wristbands, for example. Some 21.8% owned a smartwatch in H1 2021, compared with 16.4% in 2020, while penetration of smart wristbands had jumped from 8.4% to 11.5%. Both were most common among 25- to 34-year-olds, affluents, and people living in urban areas.

Google's consolidating its health records and Search talent teams into its Fitbit business—this could signal its intent to pair Fitbit with personal health records, giving it enough ammo to catch up to Apple.

Apple is reportedly adding its most advanced sensors ever to its Series 7 Watch (temperature, glucose sensors)—here’s how its leadership in the wearables space could help prop up its healthcare play.

Amazon Halo launched a new feature that uses AI to track movement and build a personalized fitness plan—here’s how Big Tech can use wearables to capitalize on the growing remote patient monitoring market.