Can smartwatches withstand the test of time or is this it?

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Apple is leading the way; the company now owns a 15.9 per cent share of the global wearables market
Apple is leading the way; the company now owns a 15.9 per cent share of the global wearables market

Have you wanted to buy one of these wearables but thought they're a bit much - not to mention pointless - for the price? You're not alone. Companies are in two minds about their shelf life. Tick tock. tick tock....

By Alvin R. Cabral

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Published: Thu 11 May 2017, 8:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 11 May 2017, 10:19 PM

It was a difficult for me to get me started on this piece. But it just took a good, long stare at my wrist to set the gears in motion.
I've been using a smartwatch for years now. How do I find it? Well, my answer has gone from 'wow' when I first used it to a 'meh' today. But make no mistake: smartwatches are useful; I don't have to dig into my pocket to get my phone out to check who's calling or texting.
A few quarters, though, have fated the smartwatch to a premature, abrupt end. And just when some have probably written them off and begun composing their eulogies, industry reports differ. (Strategy Analytics' May 4 report said global smartwatch shipments leapt 48 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2016, the second straight three-month period it has witnessed growth).
And Apple is leading the way; the company now owns a 15.9 per cent share of the global wearables market, thanks to 3.5 million units sold during the January to March period, which is a 59 per cent leap from a year ago following an even bigger 63 per cent rise in the previous three-month period. Apple has never revealed watch sales statistics. Tim Cook and Co, however, were finally able to dethrone Fitbit as the world's dominant force in wearables; Fitbit slid to third place (13.2 per cent), while the runner-up was - surprise! - China's Xiaomi (15.5 per cent).
Anyway, here's the more important thing: those two consecutive quarters of growth followed two straight ones of declines (a 51.6 per cent drop in the third quarter of 2016 alone, according to the IDC), which was probably the reason why some were waiting for smartwatches to kick the bucket.
(That didn't sit well with Cook; the Apple boss disputed reports in the third quarter last year that watch sales were sliding; "sales growth is off the charts," he said then, but didn't provide any figures to back this up.)
There are reasons, however, for those declines: the IDC says companies are realigning their strategy, going as far as calling it "growing pains" for the relatively nascent sector. Add to the fact that Apple didn't launch its Series 2 line until the end of September, Google holding back on Android Wear 2.0 and Samsung's Gear 3 not having been launched yet at that time - then it could be just a mere blip.
Statista, meanwhile, has an even bigger idea to pitch: data compiled by the statistics portal show that smartwatch sales are forecast to hit 75 million this year - almost double 2016s 38 million - and again almost double to 141 million in 2018.
Take some time to digest that and ask yourself (again) the question being whispered around: are smartwatches on their way to the digital afterlife?
Personally, I don't think so. It's either because users have to yet fully grasp what smartwatches can do for them, or manufacturers haven't nailed it - forcing some to delay their offerings or give up on it altogether.
"The market for wearables has proved to be insanely volatile," Business Insider's Steve Kovach writes, "claiming victims much faster than we saw with the companies that went kaput following the introduction of the iPhone."
Take Shakil Barkat, global product development head for Lenovo's Moto brand. "Wearables do not have broad enough appeal for us to continue to build on it year after year."
His quote came as Lenovo declared it wouldn't be touching wearables. And the reason was self-explanatory: like some others, they weren't believers in wearables, for now, at least.
We haven't even considered pricing; smartwatches - the best ones, at least - cost a fortune. It's not yet a mass product, but companies are trying to make it affordable for everyone (see: Xiaomi).
But take a look around: most people are still wearing traditional watches. Why? Because maybe people just love the simplicity of things. Wrist watches are beautiful - and even more beautiful performing the one task they're made for.
Which is exactly watch manufacturer Luco Charles' point, putting it boldly: "When is a watch not a watch? When it's a smartwatch."
Which takes us back to the price: a luxury wristwatch is a status symbol. If you had (lots of) cash to spare, would you rather buy a Rolex or that Dh62,450 Apple Watch Edition, which looks so similar to its peers?
And let's face it: one per cent of the global population holds almost half of Planet Earth's wealth; you can't blame a good number of the 99 per cent who'd grab a colourful and cool-looking Dh10 watch, right?
Some feel smartwatches are too complicated. Come to think of it, traditional timepieces are smart in their own way. And if you want to add some zest, why not go for a Breitling Emergency (which broadcasts a distress signal when you're lost) or the rock-solid Casio G-Shock?
Variety's senior Silicon Valley correspondent, Janko Roettgers, goes further in explaining the obvious: "Many of the promises offered by smartwatches are better-solved by other devices."
"Want to quickly check your email? Just take out your phone. Need to set a reminder, add something to your shopping list or even quickly look up something? Amazon Echo or Google Home to the rescue."
So, there.
I see a comparison in what's happening between traditional watches and smartwatches with iTunes and the music industry when Apple's digital music service was first launched; record labels finally realised they had to accept it - begrudgingly - and it became somewhat of a partnership. Some traditional watchmakers are already making forays into the smartwatch arena, trying to strike a win-win situation for everyone.
For now, we're in a wait-and-watch mode (pun intended) to see where these high-tech timepieces are headed. As I've mentioned earlier, they're still at the beginning, and with innovation evolving by the second, a lot of new things can bolster smartwatches' case for mass acceptance.
We may have heard some sounding death knells for the smartwatch, but the Digital Grim Reaper can wait; it may be premature to hammer the final nails in the coffin.
Alvin loves technology, basketball, is obsessed with shoes and cooks rather well
alvin@khaleejtimes.com


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