The future of wearables
A recent study from eMarketer produced alarming results for fans of wearable smart technology. Oddly enough, people aren’t jumping at the opportunity to put a $350 miniature iPhone that does less than their actual iPhone on their wrists.
A wrist-ky maneuver
If you recall, Fitbit basically shut down Pebble in one of the most savage takeovers since The Lion King. Now they’re having issues as well. As the wearable market continues to experience problems, Apple has had to revise some of their projected sales’ growth estimates going into 2017. We’ve seen this happen before with other revolutionary pieces of technology (Google Glass, cough cough).
Wearables are just a couple steps too far ahead of the target demographic.
Ahead of the curve
Much of a wearable device’s allure stems from its ability to interface with Smart Home technology. There’s a delightfully space-age quality about the notion of being able to adjust your house’s thermostat, lighting, and music choice from one’s wrist. The sheer convenience is hard to beat.
Smart Home set-ups are where things like the Apple Watch really shine. With phones getting bigger every year, a watch makes more sense to carry around the house.
Unfortunately for fans of wearables, however, smart technology simply isn’t widespread enough to warrant mass production.
Additionally, fitness trackers like Fitbit have come under fire recently for a myriad of reasons, from simple inconvenience to purported obsession cultivation.
The best way for wearable technology to become relevant is for the pertinent companies to begin targeting a different demographic. Of course, with the specificity of use in the case of the Fitbit and the sheer luxury-based function of the Apple Watch, that’s easier said than done.
Give it time
Ultimately — and somewhat ironically — time is the only thing that will save the Apple Watch or the Fitbit. Given a few years and wider-spread implementation of Smart Home technology, you can expect these “handy” pieces of tech to make an about-face and march back into our lives.
