koru wearables trends 2013

© Korulab 2013 | Non commercial use

INSIGHTS AND INSPIRATION ENVISIONED BY KORU CRAFTSMEN

EDITED BY CHRISTIAN LINDHOLM

THE YEAR BEAUTIFUL FORM MEETS MEANINGFUL FUNCTIONALITY WEARABLE TRENDS 2013


KORU - CRAFTSMEN OF THE FINEST SOFTWARE FOR WEARABLES

At Koru we believe the wrist is the next mobile and social frontier. Koru is de!ning the next generation of beautiful wearable experiences that users will love and embrace. Our passion is to develop the !nest, most engaging experiences across every touchpoint of the wearable revolution. Follow us at @korulab or get in touch at [email protected]

KORU


SENSOR PLATFORM WAR STARTS IN THE BEDROOM

NINE TRENDS IN WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

GOOGLE’S PROJECT GLASS BECOMES A SOCIAL ENABLER FOR THE WEARABLES REVOLUTION

SHRINKING WEARABLES GET READY FOR DRESS-UP

APPS MAKE WEARABLE DATA ACTIONABLE

SENSORS IN LABS REVEAL OUR SOULS

THE WATCH ENJOYS ITS RENAISSANCE! AS A PHONE ACCESSORY

SENSORS GET OUR EVERYDAY OBJECTS CONNECTED

AUDIO WEARABLES SHAPE LUXURY ELEC- TRO- NICS

FUNCTIONAL JEWELLERY TAKES OFF AS ARMBANDS


!  Smart watch makers could stumble on a killer app

!  Will touch disrupt the market with exciting experiences?

!  Can Casio, Suunto and Polar shake their complex button legacies.

!  How will Swatch react?

WATCHES ENJOY A RENAISSANCE AS ACCESSORIES “I still glance at my watch!now because it tells me who’s calling without getting out my phone.” A host of connected smart watches will emerge in 2013, with the phone becoming a new digital hub in this ‘personal body network’. Media poster child Pebble will be the tipping point for early adopters, while MuteWatch 2.0 looks likely to push functionality to new levels. But creators face tough product choices between form and functionality, making 2013 the most interesting year in watches for decades. Meta Watch, for example, has taken the path of following form instincts, while Basis chases a pure functionality route. For the past 80 years form has won - will 2013 turn things in the other direction for watches?

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2013:


The functional arm and wristbands pioneered by Nike FuelBand and Jawbone are setting a powerful trend, sidestepping the functional and aesthetic legacy of wrist watches. A !ood of new wristbands is emerging such as Disney World’s MagicBand which stores guest information and acts as ticket, room key, ride pass and more. The smartest bands will track a user’s pulse, sleep patterns and more, helping to paint a holistic picture of wellness. However, a high degree of style will become increasingly important as functionality becomes standardised. Luxury brands like Vertu will create iPhone accessories costing far more than any phone. But !exible or curved ultra-bright OLED screens remain in the lab for another year.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2013: !  Luxury brands enter the functional

armband space !  Waterproof designs !  Personalisation and ‘charm’ style options !  Wrist-based pulse sensors

“I’m addicted to Fuel! next I want a diamond studded Fuelband.”

FUNCTIONAL JEWELLERY TAKES OFF AS ARMBANDS


Prominent headphones have become a must-have accessory of the street-smart digerati, while in-ear systems are also pushing looks and "delity to new levels. Now the pre-existing luxury brands are taking notice of these shifts. But changing the distribution landscape will be a challenge and the traditional pure audio brands will start to feel the squeeze. New high-end edgy brands like Monster, Jawbone and Parrot are shaping the market upwards, while Logitech UE will continue to make a dent with a great price/quality/style ratio. The high margins of a luxury product, combined with niche tech desirability, is the goal.

!  Will luxury brands market themselves in the electronics sector?

!  Will the breadth of the "350+ headsets grow?

!  How will the functionality evolve in the headsets beyond music controls.

“Prada on my feet, Prada on my ears.” WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2013:

AUDIO WEARABLES SHAPE LUXURY ELECTRONICS


!  Pioneering telecoms companies to launch early solutions

!  Value to be unlocked in visualising data based on objects around us

SENSORS GET OUR EVERYDAY OBJECTS CONNECTED “I don’t look for my keys in my apartment – they’re on my phone.” Retro-"tting smartness into everyday objects is one of the most fascinating trends we will be living through. It’s where the ‘Internet of Things’ and wearable technology converge. The beauty of this is that it gives users the power to decide which objects should be made smart, and developers can create the optimal software to track it: keys, a jacket - even your car. Pill-shaped, cube-shaped and stickers will be typical form factors. The Nike+ sensor pills were simply the ‘neanderthal’ stage of this development. Bluetooth 4.0 is a crucial enabler, taking everyday objects into a new world.



!  Hobbyists produce covers for online sale !  Jewellery partnerships for style covers

emerge

SHRINKING WEARABLES GET DRESSED UP “I spent five times the price of my Fitbit on the necklace to hold it.”

! The Fitbit Zip and Mis"t Shine are the "rst generation of transformational wearables which can be ‘dressed’ with covers and ornamentation. We’ll see this trend rapidly extend to more products: for example, footwear covers for bicycling, or watertight wristband covers for swimming, as well as style-driven covers for social situations. Initially the covers will be non-functional, but eventually they will inform the wearable inside, enabling instant adaptation of sensor software. We will see covers become more valuable than the sensors they encase.



!  How are proprietary platforms of Nike, Fitbit and Withings opening up to developers?

!  Will platforms like Evernote create Evernote Life?

!  Can open source platforms gain momentum in time?

!  Will we see context aware phones in the second half of 2013?

“My bed to bathroom habit expanded via my scales. I am addicted to a daily snapshot of myself.”

The ‘quanti"ed self’ movement is the living lab of the wearables business, with thousands of personal guinea pigs tracking everything in their lives. Its impact in shaping the next data agenda will be crucial as privacy concerns grow. Owning a personal data platform is seen as a strategic control point, but monetization remains unclear while we work out how they’ll shape our lives in the long term. The question of who owns the habit-creating interface emerges. Withings’ smart scales has moved into the bedroom, aiming to shape daily habits and becoming a clear trendsetter here. My data, and how can it be used, remains in !ux, as handsets still strive to gather ever higher levels of rich information.


SENSOR PLATFORM WAR BEGINS IN THE BEDROOM


!  Jawbone UP app overhaul !  Popular apps get sensor front ends

(home sensors, scales, bike pods) !  Will leading app creators like RunKeeper

create own line of wearables to increase loyalty?

!  Will Facebook come to you, on a wearable?

“Everything I need to know about my wearables must be displayed in one app - Fix it!”

APPS MAKE WEARABLES’ DATA ACTIONABLE

Wearables will also begin to disrupt the app development sector. This has already started with "tness apps, and is set to branch out to life recording and social features. And although users may perceive The Cloud and the PC interface as mainly a passive back-up for their data, these will also become crucial for community data analysis and social media enablement. Development platforms are now mature, and will soon provide additional sensors for data collection. The phone becomes the new digital hub, as its bigger canvas allows for more personality and a bigger overview, with high-res screens used for rich data visualisations.



!  How will the ear be used as a sensor hub?

!  Will we see the !rst #exible display in 2013?

!  Will we change our habits from 5000 readings per second?

SENSORS IN LABS REVEAL OUR SOULS “I had no idea I sit still more than I move each day.” Sensor development is exploding in labs and startups around the world. For example, the Muse headband provides a real-time view of the brain emotionally shaping your e-mails, while the Vibe necklace shows your stress levels, and these are just the beginning. We will see 6-axis and 9-axis accelerometers. New forms of wrist based pulse sensors will make pulse reading an everyday thing. Hacks of favorite objects will emerge in new forms like Oyster card rings. These are moving the agenda forward, providing inspiration for the future. Most importantly they are simply ideal platforms for learning.



!  Reactions from the earliest adopters !  Direction, size and pro!le of the privacy

movement !  User behaviour around recording and

recollection !  Response from developers !  How will Luxottica react?

“Take off your glasses. This is just between us.”

GOOGLE GLASS BECOMES THE SOCIAL TRANSFORMER

Transforming sunglasses from a fashion accessory into a functional interface will herald a social revolution. Google’s decision to build Project Glass ‘in public’ is a brave one, as changing consumer perceptions will take years. That’s partly because the intimacy of an embedded user interface transforms all our perceptions of privacy. We can’t assume that everyone will readily accept being recorded all the time, or will welcome the idea of an interface between them and the world at every point. Hopefully Google will have the patience to persevere, while inviting early adopters to participate in 2013 should steer Project Glass in new creative directions.


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