Global shipments of wearable devices are expected to increase 8.5 percent this year to 125.3 million units, reported IDC Monday. The growing popularity of smartwatches and “greater wearables” adoption in emerging markets will produce an 11 percent five-year compound annual growth rate, with shipments jumping to 189.9 million units in 2022, said IDC. "The transition from basic wearables to smart wearables will continue over the next five years as the two approach parity in terms of market share by 2022," it said. Watches are forecast to reach 72.8 million units in 2018 with smartwatches generating roughly two-thirds of the total watch volume, said IDC. Total watch shipments are expected to reach 120.2 million by 2022 with a CAGR of 13.3 percent, it said. “Outside of smartwatches, hybrid watches and some basic kids' watches will also continue to ship in large volumes although growth for these types of devices will remain relatively flat throughout the forecast period.”
CES exhibitor Omron Healthcare will use the show to introduce a “retail-ready version” of HeartGuide, which it’s billing as the first wearable blood pressure monitor in the U.S., emailed a spokesperson Friday. The HeartGuide uses “oscillometric measurement,” the only FDA-approved method for accurate blood pressure monitoring at home, said the spokesperson. Omron’s CES booth is in Tech West at the Sands Expo Center.
Bose began taking preorders for its first augmented reality glasses, shown in prototype form this year at the South by Southwest conference. Shipping for the $199 Frames is slated for next month, and compatible AR apps are due next year, said the company. Bose’s concept for an open-air audio AR headset was compelling to the headphone maker, Mehul Trivedi, director-Bose Frames, told us. “As we think about what we want the world to look like, this idea of a heads-up, hands-free universe is something we think could be really revolutionary.” Frames are Bose’s first step in AR, and the company wanted to build a product that looked like something familiar -- “like a really great pair of sunglasses” -- that brings Bose quality while setting “the foundation for an audio augmented reality wearable.” The Frames’ acoustic package is built into each arm’s interior rather than in an earbud or attached component, said Trivedi. The sound fires into users’ ears at the same time circuitry suppresses ambient sound. “If I’m listening to it at a normal listening level, someone about a foot away from me is not going to hear it,” Trivedi said, saying it’s “private audio but still open-ear to the customer.” Bose differentiates the Frames from other AR glasses and platforms, saying, "Bose AR doesn’t change what you see, or use a lens or phone camera to superimpose objects in your sightline." The technology is said to know where a user is and what she's facing using a 9-axis head motion sensor and smartphone GPS data -- and then adds a layer of audio, "connecting that place and time" to apps for travel, learning, entertainment and gaming. An Engadget YouTube video from SXSW showed a reviewer seeing a description of a restaurant she was looking at on an Austin street after tapping on the side of the glasses “to find interesting things nearby.” A button on the temple activates the built-in mic that’s used for telephony and native virtual personal assistant support for use with Siri with the iPhone or Google Assistant and compatible Android phones, Trivedi said.
An FCC Office of Engineering and Technology waiver lets 32 Technologies get equipment certification for and market a pet collar operating in the 6.24-6.74 GHz range, said an order in Monday's Daily Digest. It said the collars, when operating under conditions laid out in the waiver of Part 15 rules for unlicensed wideband devices, pose no more risk of harmful interference to communication services than devices already allowed. The waiver is conditioned on operations being limited to residential use and anchors paired with the pet collars being no higher than 36 inches from the ground.
Biometric technology company Zwipe teamed with Tappy Technologies to develop and launch biometric wearable payment, access and digital authentication devices, they said Monday. Tappy will license Zwipe’s intellectual property, enabling biometric authentication in wearables and payment cards, the companies said. Tappy CEO Wayne Leung said brand partners, largely watch companies, sold more than 85 million units in 2017, and the company expects to see biometric authentication as part of this portfolio next year with its wearable payment and tokenization platform deployed in “millions of units” in coming years. The companies plan to demonstrate a prototype this year. Tappy brand partners include Guess, Timex, Nuband, Kronaby and TapStrap.
Vuzix said it amended a 10-year noncompete restriction with TDG Acquisition, which bought its defense division in 2012, and will pursue opportunities for its smart glasses and waveguide optics with first responders, DOD and security organizations. “Vuzix has always seen great opportunity in the first responder, defense and homeland security markets but saw better near-term opportunities in enterprise and consumer," said Vuzix CEO Paul Travers. The added markets have global reach “and exceed millions of equivalent personnel,” said the company.
Fitbit’s newest tracker, the $149 Charge 3, will be available online and in stores Sunday, the company announced Thursday. Touting preorders “indicating strong adoption,” Fitbit said 54 percent are from existing customers who have owned two or more Fitbit devices. CEO James Park said the device's SpO2 sensor, which tracks blood oxygen levels, brings that capability to the tracker form factor for the first time. Data from the sensor will be used in the upcoming Fitbit Labs Sleep Score beta that’s designed to help users understand sleep quality and breathing interruptions, Park said. With future FDA approval, the data "could be used to screen and detect more serious health conditions, such as sleep apnea,” he said. Fitbit Charge 3 Special Edition, with Fitbit Pay, will be available “soon" for $169, said the company.
Fitbit shares closed 5.3 percent higher Wednesday at $6.11 after the company announced it's expanding its partnership with Humana to help members adopt healthy behaviors and prevent chronic conditions through the Fitbit Care health coaching solution that launched Wednesday. Through the partnership with Humana’s employer group unit, more than five million Humana members will have access to Fitbit solutions, said the companies. The Fitbit Care platform, which integrates behavior change principles from Twine Health -- a Fitbit acquisition earlier this year (see 1802270050) -- combines wearables, self-tracking and personalized digital interventions, Fitbit said. The companies also announced availability of the Humana Go365 clock face on Fitbit Versa and Ionic devices, making Go365 activity data available from the wrist.
Shipment growth in the worldwide wearables market will slow to 6.2 percent this year, the category’s first single-digit growth year, due to softness in basic wearables, said a Thursday IDC report. The forecast calls for double-digit growth to return in 2019 through 2022 as smartwatches and new form factors gain acceptance. Shipments are forecast to reach 122.6 million this year vs. 115.4 million in 2017, and 190.4 million in 2022. The slowdown is a sign of a “market in transition,” said analyst Ramon Llamas, saying vendors are “slowly moving beyond first-generation devices and experiences" as they combine devices, partners and applications in ecosystems to create experiences that will make early devices “look quaint.” Analyst Jitesh Ubrani said the shift from basic wearables that don’t run third-party apps to smartwatches “is well on its way,” and IDC expects greater diversity in design, feature set, brands and price. Fitbit’s Versa was one of the first mass-market smartwatches to target the sub-$200 price band and more options will hit the market in the next six to 12 months in the same or lower price tiers, he said. IDC sees growth coming from kids', fashion and sports brand wearables. Kids’ wearables, a phenomenon in the Asia/Pacific region, are becoming popular in Europe and Latin America, with the North American market to follow, said Ubrani. Meanwhile, third-generation WearOS watches are expected to make a “small splash” in Q4 and gain traction throughout 2019, said Llamas. Wrist-worn basic wearables will continue to play a “significant role” in the market, offering simpler and less expensive solutions than smartwatches while taking on a more smartwatch-like experience, Llamas said. Clothing and earwear will post “market-beating growth” with use cases that go beyond their primary functions, he said. Smartwatch shipments will reach 46.2 million this year, up 39 percent from last year, growing to 94.3 million by 2022, IDC said. Apple’s fourth-gen Watch will appeal to cardiac patients, said the researcher, due to FDA and American Heart Association approvals. Earwear, which includes devices that add functionality beyond audio, will grow the fastest among other wearables IDC tracks, it said. The category has expanded to include fitness tracking, coaching and real-time language translation. In coming years, it said, “it should not be difficult to imagine a smart assistant tucked into a user’s ear.”
Fraunhofer is developing methods of integrating OLED “elements” into textiles for wearables and will showcase its innovations at the upcoming Electronics System Integration Technology Conference (ESTC) in Dresden, Germany, it said Friday. When OLEDs are applied on wafer-thin foils for embedding in textiles, “the range of applications is diverse and not limited to fashion trends,” said Fraunhofer. Integrating “luminous” OLED elements in clothing “not only freshens up fashion designs, it can also create very concrete benefits,” such as for use in “workwear for night logistics,” it said. Fraunhofer is seeking partners for “pilot production and is already “collaborating with designers in the fashion industry,” it said. It estimates the first OLED fashions will appear in stores in about three years, it said. ESTC opens Sept. 18 for a four-day run.