130m US$8bnWearable technology

Units (2018) Value (2018)

WATCH OUT! Where is wearabletechnology going?

What's in thewardrobe?

Eyewear

The size of the wearable technology market is set to grow. Yet it is still very small compared to other parts of the wearables and technology universe.

Growing into it

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© The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2014

On trend or fashion faux pas?

Units (2018) Value (2018)

1.84bn

33% 4%

Smartphones (inc. phablets)

5 year annual growth rate (2013-18)Clothing

18%5 year annual growth rate (2013-18)

Jewellery

US$1.06tnClothing and footwear

2018FORECASTSThe Internetof everyone

50bnNo. of Internet-

connected devicesby 2020

World population

7.5bn

US$22.8tnWorld retail sales

Retro styles

Watches

© The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2014

Health

Fashion

Where is wearabletechnology going?

Growth opportunities in wearable technology are attracting new market entrants to an old industry (see right). But existing businesses and consumers are already discarding some products.

1/3

On trend or fashion faux pas?

Incoming

Old New

Outgoing

Batteries notincluded

THE LOOKING GLASS

Pocket watch invented,

16th century

Google X launches smart contact lens to help diabetics,

2014

Richard Nicoll shows 'Tinkerbell' dress at London Fashion Week,

2014

First wearable

pacemaker fitted, 1958

LA Gear launches L.A Lights

1992

US consumers with a wearable technology device bought it in the last 6 months

US consumers stop wearing smart devices within 12 months of purchase

Apple Watch unveiled,

2014

60%

Fuelband

NIKESportswear firm is exiting hardware to focus on software

Headphones with built in sensors to monitor heart rate

SMS Audio Biosport

INTEL

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Making wearables work for you

© The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2014 Sources: The Economist Intelligence Unit; Endeavour Partners; Marketsandmarkets; IDC; GeoHive; Cisco

Where is wearabletechnology going?

Batteries not included

Back to start

SOCIAL FABRIC

Built environmentWi-Fi backscatter, developed by the University of Washington, runs battery-free devices on energy harnessed from existing radio, TV and wireless signals

Harnessing Bodies

Trend spotting

Power Felt, developed by Wake Forest University in the US, is a fabric that generates electricity from the warmth of body heat

BP is issuing FitBit devices and rewards to past and present North American employees as part of its staff wellness

programme

Salesforce offers a'developer pack' to assist companies create apps

that engage with customers via wearable devices

Start-up TicTrac provides a single platform for

syncing, tracking and anlysing all personal data

from multiple devices

Both Google Glass and the Apple Watch must be recharged every12 hours. For the sector to really take off, a new source of power is needed.

Lithium-ion batteriesfound in wearable technology devices have been on sale since 1991. Performance has gradually improved but it may now be reaching its practical limit claim researchers at the University of California, Berkeley

“The sector is shifting beyond external wearables like wristbands or clip-on devices to ‘body-adapted’ electronics that further push the ever-shifting boundary between humans and technology.”World Economic Forum, Top 10 Emerging Technologies 2014

Scientistsare looking beyond the battery. Technology is being developed so that devices can "run" off their surroundings

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