A lire sur: http://www.atelier.net/en/trends/articles/wearable-computing-booming-market-uncertain-future_419077
Google Glass, iWatch, intelligent clothes... The wearable device market is definitely growing. But how fast is still unsure.
The ‘Wearable Computing’ market is booming. An
increasing number of analysts see a rosy future for the sector and are
predicting the development of a multitude of gadgets. Among them we’ll
see smart bracelets, sensors that clip on to your clothing, smart
watches, eyewear – such as special contact lenses and Google Glass,
the ‘wearable computer’ with a head-mounted display – ‘connected’
clothing and adhesive devices. All this new equipment could profoundly
change the way we interact with our mobile phones and tablets, and – a
report by New York-based Business Insider research service BI
Intelligence suggests in its comments on the future of this market –
might even replace them. However, predicts the report, the first stage
will be coupling the gadgets to our smartphones via apps or wireless
links such as Bluetooth. The devices not only provide complementary
functionality, they also offer new applications, practices and
measurements. This is still a very young market and it looks set for
major expansion. However, analysts are still divided on precisely where
the growth will come from and how sustainable it will be.
Studies disagree
First and foremost opinion is divided on the speed of
growth of the market, which is still fairly diverse. While it’s
certainly true that it’s booming just now, it’s not yet a stable market,
and its long term attraction is still in doubt. Studies published only a
couple of months apart give varying projections. Last September, IMS
Research, a Wellingborough, UK-based market research consultancy to the
global electronics industry, predicted that the wearable computing
market would grow from sales of 14 million devices in 2011 to 171
million in 2016. In the meantime, announcements from giants such as
Apple – which, market rumor has it – is developing an iWatch, and
Samsung, which has announced that it will soon be launching a smart
bracelet, could alter current market research firm forecasts. For
example, the latest estimates from ABI Research in New York put annual
sales at 485 million by 2018. This estimate looks on the high side to BI
Intelligence, which sees growth in the market for eyewear such as
Google Glass and smart watches as still too unpredictable to call. The
BI Intelligence outlook sits between those of IMS Research and ABI
Research, forecasting the number of units sold in 2014 at 100 million,
rising to 300 million in five years’ time.
Different devices, different uses
Adoption of the various types of wearable computing
depends very much on the actual gadget and there are already barriers to
further adoption in some areas. Among these are style and design –
major factors when it comes to smartwatch-type devices, which are worn
either as a fashion accessory or as a piece of jewelry. Then there’s the
question of battery life and recharging capabilities. If you take a
bracelet which is intended to monitor the user’s activity on a permanent
basis, day and night, taking it off to recharge it in the same way as
you would a smartphone will tend to distort the data results.
Nevertheless, these bracelets currently dominate the market. Using them
to measure physical activity – plus their extended medical monitoring
capabilities – seems to appeal strongly to consumers. Two other devices
have also aroused consumer interest: watches, such as Pebble
Technology’s connected multi-tasking Pebble Watch; and eyewear, as evidenced by the excitement surrounding the forthcoming launch of Google Glass.
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