Despite the buzz created by wearable devices, they are not likely to make a big hit with consumers in the near future because of their awkward designs, increased prices and technological limitations of the current array of products, Reuters reported. Industry executives and analysts arrived at this conclusion after looking at the various displays at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas held this sweek.
Skeptics feel that many of the wearable gadgets on display seemed like clumsy effort to "shoehorn technology" into different forms without giving the user a compelling benefit. Stacy Rasgon, who works as a semiconductor analyst at Bernstein, took pictures of the fitness bands, watches and other wearable devices at the industry show.
However, Rasgon told Reuters, "I have 20 different photos, but if I look at the pictures I couldn't tell you which product is from which vendor. They all look the same. Wearables sound like a great idea and there's going to be a lot of experimentation. People are throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks."
Companies like Sony Corp, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Qualcomm Inc featured smartwatches, majority of which serve as extensions to mobile phones, which enable users to look at messages and their appointments. Wristbands that enable users to monitor their physical activity also comprise a huge chunk of the gadgets showcased at the CES this year.
Mike Bell, the senior executive that is heading the wearables initiative at Intel Corp, told Reuters, "For wearables to finally match up with the hype, (they have) to be a true solution, where it isn't about the technology - it's about what the technology enables you to do, something you couldn't do before." He added that a gadget's function, form and experience have to be as important as the parts that make up the device.
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