Geegaw or next hot trend: watching the smart watch

By Zhu Shenshen | October 14, 2013, Monday |

Print Edition

The smart watch, another category of wearable computing alongside Google Glass, has been the subject of much talk in the media and among technology buffs.

Are watches that can pick up calls, send short messages and take pictures just interesting playthings or do they have the potential to become a popular consumer must-have?

At the end of September, Samsung introduced Galaxy Gear, a smart watch that can be connected with the latest flagship model Galaxy Note 3. It was the world’s No. 1 phone player’s first attempt to penetrate the smart watch segment.

Sony released a second-generation watch last month, while in the domestic Chinese industry game firm Shanda and several start-ups also debuted smart watches or started pre-orders for them.

During a recent interview, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said current smart watches are too restrictive for consumers.

“I want the entire smartphone, the entire Internet, on my wrist,” Wozniak said.

It seems apparent that the smart watch concept is on the right track but it has a long way to go.

The wearable computing market — including Google Glass, sport wristbands like Jawbone UP and smart watches — will generate combined revenue of US$9.3 billion in 2014 and sales could hit US$18.8 billion in 2016, according to IHS, a US-based research firm.

Huge potential

“It’s a market no player can neglect,” said Jose Barreiro-Lopez, director of Sony’s global sales and marketing activation accessories.

More than 4 million smart watches will be sold in 2014 and the figure could rise to 41 million in 2016, Lopez predicted.

The entry of Samsung into the smart watch market marked a milestone in the industry because the smart watch is now regarded as “a second screen” of the smartphone. The success of smart watches requires support from mobile phone industry heavyweights like Samsung and Sony.

Another notable player in the sector is Qualcomm, which also released the new Toq watch recently. Qualcomm is the No. 1 chip designer in the global telecommunications industry, providing chip solutions for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and Sony’s Z1.

Smart watches usually feature a 1.6-inch color touchscreen and often remotely connect to smartphones for features on music playing, picture display, and call and message delivery.

But drawbacks of the watches are obvious: lack of design, high prices, short battery life and restrictive features.

When I asked several female friends for their opinions of smart watches and whether they would buy them for gifts, they all shook their heads.

“They are children’s toys, ugly toys,” said Zhuang Ge, 29. “I prefer a branded wristwatch of fashion and taste.”

Even young men usually willing to try the latest digital gadgets expressed doubt about the watches.

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear costs US$299, and Sony’s SmartWatch2 carries a price tag of US$175 — higher than the prices of local branded smart phones.

If wrist computing currently has much of a market, it’s in the sports segment. Wristbands for sports management and fitness, like Nike+Fuelband and Jawbone UP, sell well in China. Though their functions are simple, they have a certain fashion appeal among fitness buffs.

Battery problems

During a demonstration of the Galaxy Gear at a recent Samsung event in Beijing, I was unable to activate the photography function. Battery problems, I was later told. What does that say about the practical use of the smart watch?

Samsung and Sony’s latest watches support use of roughly one day, or 24 hours. Qualcomm’s watch battery runs for about five days. With such short battery times, it may be difficult to persuade consumers to ditch their traditional watches, which run for months or even years.

“I want a larger display than they’re starting with,” said Wozniak. “I hope (a future smart watch is) independent, works on its own and is not connected with Bluetooth to the smartphone.”

The key elements of a smart watch need to be ease of use, beautiful design and rich content. Sony is working on that. The Japanese-based company has set up a research center in Beijing on wearable computing and it plans kick off upgraded watches and other devices, Lopez said.

By 2020, consumer data collected from wearable devices is expected to drive 5 percent of revenue from the top 1,000 firms globally.

Wearable computing is moving into the mainstream, led by the growing multibillion dollar health and fitness markets, according to Gartner, a US-based IT research firm.

Technical hurdles that have stalled the popularization of smart watches, such as battery life, chip evolution and bandwidth, are quickly eroding with sizable investments in wearable technology from Samsung, Google, Apple and Microsoft, Gartner added. Last but not at least, most people, including me, are still awaiting the iWatch from Apple, probably set for release next year.

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