Before this decade, wearable technology was considered an alien thing. In fact, even the concept of wearable technology was just limited to movies. But concepts, ideas and time changes and nowadays, the world is obsessed with wearable technology, as after smartphones it is the next best thing the smart technology world has to offer to the entire world. According to reports, over 84 million people in the world are currently using wearable technology in their daily lives, and most of them prefer the Apple Watch even thought it has not even been launched yet.
According to IHS technology, a famous research firm, consumers all over the world will spend an aggregate of $2.2 billion on devices, which they can wear in order to make their lives easier. Many firms such as Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have stepped in and contributed to this growing global trend of wearing technology. However, Apple’s is the most demanded product, according to reports.
Apple announced the release of its Apple Watch in September of this year, labeling it as “iWatch” to make it more relevant to other Apple devices. The term iWatch was speculated by market analysts in the beginning of 2014 as well, however, with the official announcement by Apple of its smartwatch, the term “iWatch” was searched on search engines 400% more than it was ever before.
According to reports, Apple Watch will feature mostly fitness applications and sensors, including a heart-rate sensor, a motion sensor, and dedicated applications for sleeping, walking, and exercise. The only downside with the incoming product is that consumers will not be able to enjoy it this holiday season. According to sources inside Apple, consumers will be able to purchase the wearable wrist band technology sometime next year.
However, Apple Watch is not the only product that is famous the world over, and that users can use to fulfill their fitness goals. FitBit is a close competitor, and promises to deliver exactly the same number of features (maybe even more) as the Apple Watch.
Fitbit as a company is not nearly as old as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). However, the 7-year old company promises to deliver a high quality device, rumored to be titled the Fitbit charge. The company’s promise and confidence in the product has sparked much enthusiasm in consumers as well, who have shown anticipation and excitement for the product on the internet. According to Google, Fitbit Charge, and Fitbit’s upcoming smartwatch in general, is the second most searched about wearable tech gadget on the Internet.
Close competitor to Apple and Fitbit on the internet is Nike’s FuelBand, which promises to deliver a state-of-the-art wireless counter for calories a person consumes. However, Nike intimated a stoppage to the FuelBand’s development, with a subsequent statement revealing the company has shifted its attention to developing fitness apps for smartwatches being developed by other companies. Still, it does not eliminate the fact that the FuelBand is the third most searched wearable tech product on the internet, according to major search engines.
Other close competitors are Garmin Vivofit, Samsung Gear, and Jawbone Up.