SensNews Mar 2017

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Sensor100 March 2017 6
Wearables Future
Did you do your 10,000 steps today? Unless you are a
fitness fanatic - what used to be called a weekend war-
rior - the chances are, not. The wearable you bought in a
fit of enthusiasm is possible now at the back of your sock
drawer. Sensor100 has long argued that the plethora
of apps intended to promote your health and well being
cannot all be commercially successful, and most will not
be. Are there beginning to be signs that this prediction is becoming true?
Is it time to move on from wearables?
IDTechEx posed this question in a webinar earlier this month.“ The hype around wear-
able technology is all but over. Whilst new wearable technology products have gener-
ated billions of dollars in new revenue in just a few years, the hype was too much to
live up to for many at the core of the sector. As such, the discussions around wearable
technology are beginning to change.The broad, sensationalistic optimism is gradually
being replaced with a more pragmatic, measured tone in which wearables are less “the
next big thing” and more like a series of related product types, some of which have
done well in recent years.“
The company’s 2016 market research report
forecasts sales of $150 by 2026, but continues the cautionary theme: “Fuelled by a
frenzy of hype, funding and global interest, wearable technology was catapulted to the
top of the agenda for companies spanning the entire value chain and world.This invest-
ment manifested in hundreds of new products and extensive tailored R&D investigating
relevant technology areas. However, the fickle nature of hype is beginning to show, and
many companies are now progressing beyond discussing “wearables” to focus on the
detailed and varied sub-sectors.