Communications of the ACM
Wearable Computers Struggle to Go Mainstream: 10 Reasons Why
The market for wearable technologies is small, and faces numerous obstacles.
Credit: Team Tsukamoto
Technology companies are increasingly focused on wearable technology, but the market for these devices remains small and several obstacles exist to widespread use.
Apple's iWatch and Google Glass mark the first significant entries of large companies into the wearable technology market, and the absence of heavyweights has held back the market until now.
In addition, feasible ideas remain elusive, with average users unlikely to find the devices practical and useful.
Furthermore, mainstream devices such as smartphones and tablets already excel at keeping users connected.
The appearance of wearable technology is another deterrent, as devices that have emerged thus far are bulky and unfashionable, contributing to the existing image problem that these devices fall exclusively into the realm of nerds.
A paucity of advertising means that consumers have no real knowledge of wearable technology's value, and some companies are advertising wearability only as a secondary feature of end-to-end solutions; for example, Apple with its iPod Nano, which can be worn as a watch.
Finally, wearable technology currently depends on information gleaned from other products, but to truly become mainstream, it needs to integrate fully with other products so that an ecosystem develops around it.
From eWeek
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2013 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found