Wearable devices are going to triumph this year, or at least, that is what companies want, that 2014 is the year when watches, bracelets and smart glasses succeed in replacing smartphones little by little. However, how does a wearable device have to be to really succeed? What companies are getting their launches right?
Lack of innovation
What is most surprising of all that the different companies have presented over the last few years is that there is a lot of innovation lacking. Far from creating a device that is capable of having a new function, they only create devices that have the same characteristics that the smartphones that we have today already have. But of course, a smaller size implies a reduction in the quality of the components, a lower power, and in the end, a device that does not work as well as a smartphone. Many companies are only thinking about the possible business benefit, rather than trying to create a tech product that can replace the smartphone. And there is no excuse for companies to do this, as none of these is a family business that depends on selling every month in order to survive. In fact, these family businesses are the ones that are recently innovating the most in the world of technology thanks to crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter. Neither Samsung, nor LG, nor Sony, not even Apple, have come up with a wearable device that does something that smartphones don't. The higher-end Gear 2 has a camera, a feature that smartphones carry, which is not even quality, and many find it useless in a watch. It is a sample of how you try to include things without innovating anything. And it's not that Samsung is doing worse than the others, it's that almost all of them are doing the same or worse.
If they replace a watch, let them be a watch
There is a concept that many companies ignore, and they are wrong. If a smart watch is going to be a watch, let it be a watch. What functions do watches include today? They give the time, they carry a chronometer, some measure altitude, heart rate, and above all, many have style. The smartwatches that have been introduced lack style, and in some cases, they don't even tell the time at all times.
If we talk about smart glasses, or bracelets, the same thing happens. There are people who buy glasses because they need to correct their eyesight, there are people who wear them to avoid the sun, and there are other people who add to all that the aesthetic factor. We cannot get smart glasses that are not valid for all of them, because they will never stop wearing glasses to wear Google Glass.
Google seems to be hitting the key
Of everything that has been presented lately, Google seems to be the company that is understanding it best. On the one hand, we have Android Wear. It is an operating system adapted for wearable devices, but the truth is that it is not an Android as we know it for smartphones and tablets. It is an Android with fewer functions, and much more specific. Its main purpose is going to be one, to be an operating system for wearable devices, period. Nothing more than that. They have been right on that.
On the other hand, they are also creating a high-level Google Glass. From the rumors, and from what everyone expected, Google Glass should already be on the market, at the beginning of 2014. However, they are not yet, and we may even have to wait until the beginning of 2015. However, They have also announced an agreement with the Luxxotica group, responsible for brands such as Ray Ban and Oakley, to design frames for Google Glass. In other words, those who are looking for a Ray Ban to wear designer glasses, will be able to search for a Google Glass. Wearing the latter will not mean having to give up fashion.
Motorola is also right
And what seems a lie is that Motorola, which has now been sold by Google to Lenovo, has also created an amazing smartwatch. And what is most surprising is how little it really has to surprise. It is nothing more than a smart watch like the ones we have seen so far, but round, and with a beautiful design. We do not know if it will have GPS, if the screen will be multi-touch, or if it will have a calculator. But that does not matter, it is a watch after all, and there is little difference between the Motorola watch and Mondaine brand watches, for example. These latest Swiss watches are bought by nostalgia for the world of watches, and the fact that Motorola has managed to create a similar watch indicates that they have understood very well how the world of wearable devices has to advance. By the way, that makes us wonder if Lenovo is going to soon become another of the market giants. The world of mobile technology is going to change, and only companies that fully understand what a wearable device should look like will succeed. For now, only Google and Motorola seem to be hitting the mark, hopefully more companies will join the list.