6/6/2023 0 Comments Adriana lee readwrite![]() While customers might ultimately transition to smartwatches for their basic fitness tracker needs, a new specialized fitness market might emerge for products designed for specific types of workouts. If that happens, and it works really well, that puts a lot of pressure on FitBit, Jawbone - those guys that are making fitness devices." "By all indications that's going to be a very health- and fitness-focused device. "We'll wait and see what Apple does," says Arnold. As the smartwatch market grows, those companies will likely have to transition along with it. The digital fitness category has grown considerably over the past few years, with devices like the Fitbit and Jawbone UP topping the popularity list. They're designed for all types, and fashion designer Tory Burch even recently put out a special line of trackers with FitBit. Perhaps smartwatch-makers should take a design cue from fitness trackers. Related: LG Unveils Wristbands That Let You Track Your Kids Wearables beyond the watch The industry is just now transitioning from industrial design to fashion design - a move that will open the door to a ton more options, Harden says. There will be a sea of these devices out there." ![]() Twenty-five-year-old women are going to want something different than a 55-year old male. "They will be aimed at particular individuals. ![]() "Future smartwatches will be fashioned by many different likes and dislikes," he says. The first smartwatches to market have been generic in nature in part because they needed to appeal to a huge audience with their designs, Harden says. "They will become more fashionable," says Dan Harden, CEO of industrial design firm Whipsaw, the company behind things like the Nike Fuelband and Nod Labs' gesture-controlled ring. "This is sexy hardware design that might work as a high-tech boyfriend watch, at least," says Lee. LG's new G watch was a bit too much for smaller wrists, but Motorola's Moto 360 was comfortable and actually fit. After trying on some of the latest from LG and Motorola, ReadWrite's Adriana Lee found that watch makers are at least making strides to change. Smartwatches are almost exclusively bulky in design. While NPD estimates that 58 percent of wearable fitness device buyers are women, most smartwatches aren't designed with ladies' wrists in mind. Arnold and other analysts expect the holiday season this year to be huge for smartwatches, once consumers become more comfortable with the category and more knowledgeable about its benefits. Much like smartphones, we'll likely start to see inexpensive entry-level devices along with mid-level and premium devices. "I think when that happens it changes the game." "We all pretty much expect Apple to come out with the "iWatch' as we're all kind of calling it," Arnold says. There's one big player missing from the smartwatch game: Apple. ![]() Apps like Evernote and Runkeeper are available for smartwatches now - the challenge is showing people how they can be useful in wrist form. In order for smartwatches and wearables in general to reach that next level, mainstream consumers are going to need to be more aware of the applications available for the watches and, more importantly, how those applications are going to improve their lives. Applications like Google Now can be exceptionally powerful for those who know how to use them, but the general public still might not be aware they exist. "I feel like the applications that are making smartwatches interesting at this point are still kind of things that tech-savvy and early adopters know about," he says. What's holding the category back is the types of applications that are available for watches, Arnold says. What the smartwatch needs to get to the next level might live in its software. Beyond the early adopters: It's all about software
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