Wearable Technology – The Basics Ahmed Bouzid – Co-Founder & CEO, XOWi, Inc. Weiye Ma – Co-Founder &CTO, XOWi, Inc. Wearable Tech Group September Workshop September 10, 2013
Jan 28, 2015
Wearable Technology – The Basics
Ahmed Bouzid – Co-Founder & CEO, XOWi, Inc.Weiye Ma – Co-Founder &CTO, XOWi, Inc.
Wearable Tech Group September WorkshopSeptember 10, 2013
Wearable Technology?
What’s the fuss all about?
Isn’t everything that we wear already some sort of technology?
A manufactured tool that solves a problem? Clothing Glasses Hearing aids Watches Cell Phones: Worn on belt
The Wearables in Our Lives
To: keep us warm
To protect us from injury (shoes)
Protect us from disease (gloves)
Aesthetics - makes us look good
Meaning: rings, expensive clothesGlasses
A bit more technologically sophisticated
Improves our vision
Protects against sun glareHearing aids
Improves our hearingThe cell phone
Worn on belt
Watches
Tells time: Pocket watch, Wrist watch
Digital watch: Time, timers, stop watches
Form & Function
Wearables =
Aesthetics + Pragmatics It needs to look good as well as do
its job
Balance changes from one wearable to another Digital watches: Function more
important than form Sun glasses: Looking good is crucial
Why a Wearable?
Don’t have to look for it: you forget it’s there until you need it
You don’t have to put it away: when you are done with it, you just go on (unlike a smartphone – you have to put it back where it was)
Can’t lose it (vs. smartphone device) – it’s attached to your body
It’s the cool thing (until it becomes mainstream)
The New Wearables
Wearable is an electronic device that extends the functionality of your smartphone
Smart Watches: Sony, Pebble, Samsung, etc. Wrist Bands - UP Google Glass Bluetooth ear phones
Some new ones
Embrace+ Bracelet Kapture audio recorder Memoto camera XOWI Voice Companion
The New Possibilities
Ever shrinking devices Large mainframes/minis/desktops/laptops/tablets/smartphone/wearables Size growing smaller -> opens new use possibilitiesForms rarely fully replace one another other Overlaps: tablet and laptop / smartphone and tablet / smartphone and wearables Each device has its strengths:
Tablet vs. Laptop Smartphone vs. Tablet Smartphone vs. Wearables
Wearables Market Size
$2.7 billion in revenue in 2012
Expected to reach $8.3 billion in 2018
Growing at CAGR ~ 17.71% from 2013 to 2018
Consumer application sector accounting for $2.4 billion
Wrist-wear devices accounted for $876.70 million in revenue
Product shipments ~ 2.7 billion units in 2018
U.S. accounts for more than 80.00% of the market
What’s Next?
Expect an eruption of Wearables
Apple will finally jump in early next year – Apple is behind the curve
No clear leader will emerge: war between Google & Apple will heat up mid next year
Innovation will come from small startups
Consolidations as markets and categories emerge