The future of wearable devices depends on an industry standard: expert
November 18, 2013 Leave a comment
The future of wearable devices depends on an industry standard: expert
Monday, November 18, 2013
CNA
TAIPEI — Wearable computing devices, such as Google Glass, would not have a bright future in the consumer market unless an industry standard for the devices’ specifications is created, according to a local analyst. Technology companies such as Google Inc., Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. have introduced their own wearable devices in the forms of eyeglasses and watches, but various issues, such as privacy, remain a concern prior to the wider adoption of the devices by the public.One of the key factors to success in the consumer market is developing a standard across the industry for mass production of smart eyeglasses or smart watches, said Hou Chun-yuan, a senior analyst at the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) under the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute.
That would help manufacturers come up with “killer applications” for wearable devices and contribute to a shift in this technology from the niche market to the consumer market, in the long term, Hou said in a Friday, Nov. 15 research report.
He added that he believes wearable computing technology has “great potential of development” and will become a game changer in the industry, although that vision remains distant from the current stage.
Smart glasses are an emerging technology, with less than 1 percent of companies in the United States offering smart glasses, according to a Nov. 12 report from market research company Gartner Inc.
The use of smart glasses, however, has the potential to improve worker efficiency in vertical markets, such as manufacturing, field service, retail and healthcare, causing chief technology officers to take a fresh look at the impact that wearable electronics will have on its future, Gartner said.
“In the next three to five years, the industry that is likely to experience the greatest benefit from smart glasses is field service, potentially increasing profits by US$1 billion annually,” said Angela McIntyre, a research director at Gartner.
“The greatest savings in field service will come from diagnosing and fixing problems more quickly without needing to bring additional experts to remote sites,” she said.
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