You’d be hard pressed to find a tech company who hasn’t jumped into the wearable tech space. Some make a big splash with game changers like Google Glass, or they come more quietly like Microsoft and Intel. But they are coming – even car manufacturer Nissan introduced a smartwatch. And why shouldn’t they? The potential is huge. ABI Research estimates the global market for wearables in health and fitness alone could reach 170 million devices by 2017.
But while the hardware players have been first on the scene, they are struggling. Building stuff at a price point people will buy is thought to be the easy part, and goal accomplished: fitness trackers like the Nike Fuelband and the FitBit (see disclosure) are flying off the shelves. But building stuff that works well has been tough – to note, I’m on my 4th Fuelband (this one, finally, seems to be lasting). And building stuff people will incorporate into their daily lives and use to improve their lives – that’s a whole other story.
via GigaOM
