Factors that will determine wearables' success

TAIPEI: The Wearable Technology Forum at Computex 2015 highlighted some of the key factors that will determine wearables' success.

The wearable devices market is forecast to be worth more than US$27 billion by 2019. Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) the wearable devices are also set to provide multiple benefits and will also become an integral part of daily life in the future.

Pankaj Kedia, Senior Director and Business Lead at Smart Wearable Segment at Qualcomm Technologies explained how these devices will help improve people’s lives.

He identified five target user segments: fitness/health, young adults, enterprises, senior care and keeping track of children.

Fitness enthusiasts can track their exercise regimen, while young adults can use the devices to keep in touch with family and friends. In contrast, a children’s watch can feature an emergency call, location and five contact functions.

Kedia also divided target devices into four categories - body sensors, body trackers, watches and eyewear.

Wearable devices aspire to be both fashionable accessories and practical gadgets. “But why should people wear devices like these?” asked Suvilaakso, from fitness wearables company Polar. A successful wearable device requires a thriving ecosystem of software and apps, said he.

“The advantage of fitness wearables is that you don’t need to do the hard work,” Suvilaakso said.

Sports smart wearable devices give users a comprehensive understanding of their physical fitness through integrated InstGPS, MEMS motion and heart rate sensors. Instant analysis of real-time data can go straight onto a tablet, with in depth analysis of data available as a web service that can create and share reports. Most importantly, these reports allow sports enthusiasts to better understand their performance and progress.

Suvilaakso listed the key factors for the success of sports wearables as understanding customers, functional and attractive design and durable engineering.