Tag: wearable tech

Wearable technology sales are high with fitness trackers, research required

| June 24, 2015

While these wearables are highly popular, some evidence is showing that they may not be fully accurate.

In the wearable technology category, no other device is selling as quickly as fitness trackers, which is great news for companies such as Fitbit, which recently took its first steps onto the stock market.

However, experts are saying that people should be careful what information they trust from these wearables.

While experts do agree that wearable technology devices can be extremely helpful in encouraging people to set fitness and health goals, what isn’t yet known is whether or not those gadgets are actually helping users to be able to reach those goals so that they will be able to give themselves an advantage at gaining a healthier body. The advantage to these devices appears to be primarily in encouraging people to create goals and to obtain reminders to stick to those goals. Those features definitely works and a growing number of studies have shown that this is providing people with a measurable advantage.

Evidence that this wearable technology provides reliable feedback in other areas is very limited.

Wearable Technology - fitness trackerAt the moment, research that has been conducted on the devices to show that they actually work in terms of the feedback that they provide (such as counting steps, calories burned, distance traveled, etc) is very limited. It has been conducted on small numbers or on specific groups of people, so far. There isn’t yet any reliable data with regards to use by the general population.

Fitness trackers are being seen virtually everywhere and come in many forms, such as being attached to clothing, worn on wrists, or fixed to shoes. While they are gathering a large amount of data, what isn’t known is how reliable that data is, or how that data is being used by the wearers.

What isn’t yet known is whether the steps counted, calories burned, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and sleep quality data are accurate enough to be appropriate to guide the decisions of the wearers. The other factor is that it is not yet known if – regardless of the accuracy of the data – users are actually applying that data to improve their health and performance, particularly over the long term.

Smartwatch ownership predicted to rise in Australia

| June 17, 2015

A new forecast from Roy Morgan Research says that Australians will soon buy more wearable technology.

Independent research firm, Roy Morgan Research, has released a prediction that has said that the claims of intention to buy a smartwatch by Australians currently reflects the types of figures that were generated about the intention to purchase smartphones back when those devices were in their infancy.

For that reason, the firm believes that Australia will soon start to see a notable growth in wearable technology.

The study included the participation of about 520,000 Australians and ran from January through April 2015. What was found was that 2.7 percent of the people who took part said that they felt that they would purchase a smartwatch within the following year. Though that figure may seem rather small, it may be more important than it appears, as the firm pointed out that early studies with regards to the intent to purchase an iPhone – back when that device had only just hit the market – were very similar. Back then, 3.6 percent of Australian survey respondents said that they were considering buying one within the first four months of its entry to the market.

What has yet to be seen is whether the trends for the smartwatch will continue to parallel those of the smartphone.

Smatwatch ownership predicted to climb in AustraliaIt is currently estimated that there are nearly 13 million iPhone owners in Australia. That type of future for wearable technology within the country is clearly nothing to sniff at. Furthermore, when respondents were asked about whether they would prefer to purchase an Apple Watch or if they would rather invest in the wearables from another brand, the figures showed that a similar percentage want the Apple product in wearable technology as was the case with smartphones.

Among those who are interested in the devices, a comparable percentage would prefer an Apple Watch to that of other brands as was the case when an iPhone was the choice over other smartphones within the first four months of its release.

What is interesting is that even the age profile of those who are interested in the smartwatch is similar to the figures from 2008 when the iPhone was new.