2014; The Year Wearable Tech Would Go Mainstream?

Consumer device analyst Avi Greengart, from research firm Current Analysis, suggested that 2013 may be the “year of the smartwatch”, as “the components have gotten small enough and cheap enough” and many consumers own smartphones that are compatible with a wearable device. I am thinking it is 2014, though wearable tech became more visible in the media in 2013. 

If we take the role call, we’ve got Qualcom, Samsung, Pebble, Sony, Nike, Fitbit and a host of others that have been bold enough to blaze the trail.

What I am wondering is: what are the likes of Rolex, Timex, Casio and a host of other regular watchmakers waiting for? Could it be that they do not believe that the market for wearable tech is growing already? Something tells me that they are all awaiting their Kodak moment.

We all saw what the camera phone and digital cameras did to Kodak and Polaroid. They are no longer the king of camera and film like they once were. The smartphone has been eating into different industry; it is eating into the wristwatch business as we can already see that many of the Gen Y folks hardly wear wristwatches, except the few that wear it for fashion and the very old folks.

Wearable tech may become so exciting that Gen Y will start to wear something on their wrist that won’t be wristwatch, but most likely a fitness tracker or a smartwatch. If the native watchmakers aren’t venturing into smartwatch/wearable tech, what does the future hold out for them?

One native watch maker that has already ventured into wearable tech is the original makers of Fossils. They have been making Meta, a smartwatch, for some time now and are in 2014 releasing a new iteration of the watch by teaming up with the legendary Nokia and Vertu designer Frank Nuovo, who has helped redesign both the branding and the hardware in preparation for a relaunch as the Meta.

Meta from MetaWatch

Another native watch maker that has latched onto the smartness in watches is Citizen. The Verge describes the Citizen Proximity as a watch that’s smart, not a computer for your wrist.

Citizen Eco-drive Proximity

With LG joining the race now with the LG Lifeband Touch which when it is worn on the wrist, tracks a range of physical activity — including steps taken, distance covered — as well as calorie consumption, it won’t be long before Apple and a host of other players join in the race; players like Huawei, ZTE, maybe even Tecno might join the wagon.

There are lots of possibilities for the wearable devices that are being released. We have eyewear, wristwatches, fitness trackers won on the wrist, and a slew of other users when wearable tech is applied to clothes.

We have seen some bras that have been developed that can mitigate cancer. Computer World also made clear some use cases in enterprise like: UPS driver’s brown uniform, the surgeon’s scrubs and the engineer’s clipboard.

Fitness and Health is one aspect where wearables have been making their mark and it is going to go mainstream soon. This is not just because more people would take their fitness seriously but because the gadgets will become cool, small, fashionable, trendy and performing more functions that just tracking fitness progress.

Some analysts are predicting that Apple may be planning to go into wearable tech in a big way by starting a fashion outfit. I don’t know how true that is as Apple itself has not announced anything. But what I do know is that Apple has hired a former fashion executive from Yves Saint Laurent to be the head of “special projects.