Wearable technology has not been a huge hit with
consumers, but that may be about to change. The tide could turn when the Apple
Watch hits the market, with Forrester Research predicting there will be 10
million users when the device is finally available, according to a report in
InformationWeek.
The Forrester survey of 4,500 online adults from the
Unites States showed interest in wrist-based wearables increased from 28% in
2013 to 42% in 2014. While not a guaranteed success, Apple has the high-end
customer base to make it work.
Smartwatches were rated higher in the survey than all
other wearable devices, but wearables in clothing ranked second to
wrist-based devices and 19% of the respondents said they were interested in gadgets
embedded in clothing.
Ralph Lauren already put built-in sensors in its Polo
Tech shirts that tracked the heart rate and movement of the ball boys at the U.S.
Open tennis tournament last summer. Tech enthusiasts were also buying smart
shoes and jackets that provide walking directions for the user in 2014. The
trend will speed up in 2015 with monitors for pets, inside the bedroom, and
even a pill-shaped camera that will show a person’s gastrointestinal tract.
