Obstacles On The Way Of Wearable Revolution

Wearable technology is gaining prominence these days with the advent of Google glass, Apple watch, USB necklace, and many more. According to A report by IHS electronic & media – By 2018, the wearable device in the U.S. alone would stand at more than $12 billion. It is evident that, wearable technology has a tremendous potential and it still needs to be exploited. This year further contributed to the growth of this segment as it has witnessed the launch of fitness trackers and smart clothing line and it prompted to declare 2015 as the year of wearable technology. Earlier this year, we saw that Google glass was not very successful in terms of sales. Apple Watch, that was expected to bring a new wave in wearable technology, didn’t do very well and after the initial spur, it wasn’t able to grab much attention. But, there are a few hindrances that are coming in the way of wearable technology. We would discuss the same roadblocks in the following:

Dependance on Smartphones

The biggest obstacle that comes in the way of wearable tech is that if you don’t have a smartphone, then your smart-device would become useless. Wearable technology was taken as a replacement for other gadgets such as smartphones, like laptops and has almost overshadowed the desktops. But, it still has a strong dependence on smartphones and tablets. Let’s take an example of Apple watch, it has to be paired with iPhone 5 or higher, in order to make calls or sending messages. Next example would be of Fitbit flex that is used as a health monitoring wearable tech. And, like Fitbit many free smartphone apps are able to produce roughly the same results. It is very important for the companies that are in the business of wearable technology, that they should come up with something that would function on its own and won’t need any other device to help.

Low battery life: One of the common problems faced by the consumers who use smartphones is Low Battery Life. And, the same goes with wearable technology. A heavy demand for high resolution devices that are compatible and can perform multiple functions at a time as smartphones does. To overcome the power issues with the wearable technology, Microsoft has recently come up with an energy saving system called Wear Drive that increases the battery life of wearable tech up to 3.60 times. However, much research and development is required before these solutions can be implemented on a large scale.

Amalgamating Fashion with Function

These days, consumers not only look for comfort and utility of a device, instead they also focus on design and fashion. And, the financial decision lies majorly on these factors. Google glass, after its launch was criticized hugely by the analysts and consumers for its obstructive design. Many wearable companies have started to call fashion designers to address this issue.And, many fashion designing companies are planning to levearge this trending technology by launching their own designs.

The challenges discussed above are a few of the major obstacles on the way of wearable technology. But, they can be solved with the help of top-notch engineers and fashion designers. However, tech giants are focusing on the pain areas and soon wearable tech will once again pick momentum.

THE AUTHOR

Peeyush Singh

DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER