USA TODAY International Edition
Smartwatches have to be cute, or else
Because they’re not just tech, they’re fashion
If you ask someone what they think about smartwatches, you’re likely to get one of two answers: Either they’re the next big thing in consumer tech, or they’re a ridiculous ploy by big tech companies to “connect” yet another analog holdout.
Smartwatches are exactly what they sound like: wristwatches with enhanced, connected functionality. You can browse notifications, receive e- mails or even talk on the phone. Basically, it’s a Dick Tracy watch.
But unlike smartphones or tablets, smartwatches are “wearable tech,” meaning they must aspire to a degree of style and comfort not required of other gadgets.
“Smartwatches may even be more fashion than they are technology,” says Michael Wolf, chief analyst at NextMarket Insights. His firm predicts the number of smartwatch shipments will skyrocket from 15 million in 2014 to 373 million by 2020.
LOOKS ARE EVERYTHING
Analysts seem to agree that this question of form vs. function is one of the biggest challenges to consumer adoption, to a degree unprecedented in the rest of the tech industry.
“One of the biggest lessons the early smartwatch pioneers discov- ered ( is that) it’s a fashion accessory device, and thus people won’t buy it if it doesn’t look good,” says Joshua Flood, analyst at ABI Research.
Early smartwatch designs like Microsoft’s SPOT failed for this reason, he explains, but the design teams behind more recent iterations seem to have gotten the message. “This is why we are seeing so many companies pushing their style element or philosophy,” Flood adds.
Wolf agrees, citing poor style as the primary reason Samsung’s heavily hyped Galaxy Gear smartwatch has struggled.
But that doesn’t mean smartwatches are doomed. Just look to the start- up sector, where companies like FiLIP are making GPS- enabled watches that help parents locate and communicate with their kids.
Surprisingly, the big name in smartwatches is a young start- up called Pebble. Launched earlier this year, Pebble was the most successful campaign in Kickstarter history, raising more than $ 10 million on a $ 100,000 goal.
Unlike the Galaxy Gear or Sony Smartwatch, Pebble features an e- paper display — functionally similar to the kind used on Amazon Kindle ereaders. The display allows users to read e- mails, screen notifications, and interact with apps in direct sunlight.
“It’s a pretty good mix ( of fashion and technology),” says Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky, pointing to the customizable screen as an example of this balance. “Instead of having to choose to wear just an analog watch one day or a digital watch when you’re going for a run, you can wear the same physical device and change it according to what you want.”
BIG GUYS THREATEN START- UPS
But with looming competition from Apple, Google and Microsoft, Pebble has its work cut out. Each of those big- name brands is expected to follow Samsung into the wearable tech market, and with the infrastructure advantage afforded by Google Now, Apple’s Siri, and, eventually, Microsoft’s rumored “Cortana” digital assistant, the playing field looks tough for start- ups.
“I do think that Google, Microsoft and Apple could really be big, because they do have the good platforms,” Wolf explains. Even Pebble’s Migicovsky acknowledges the competition, but points to his company’s early start and third- party potential as a silver lining.
“There are quite a few competitors in the market,” he says, “but no one else enables developers to actually write apps that run directly on the device and have it work with iPhones and Android smartphones.”
However open brands are with their smartwatches, everyone seems to agree that, for the time being, the devices will remain mere accessories to your smartphone — companions, not replacements. But once app integration and battery life improve, Flood suggests, “We could eventually see a smartwatch as a stand- alone device.”