Year-end inventory: Top 10 news events in the wearable industry in 2015

In a blink of an eye, the time of the annual ring has traveled until the end of 2015, but many incidents in the wearable industry are still echoing. In 2015, the wearable market was filled with smoke, and the official start of the Apple Watch began. A big battle officially kicked off. Since then, it has become a "competitive place for military strategists" of major manufacturers, and a competitive pattern of contending and blossoming has formed. In the fierce battle, frequent exposures to heavy news, such as CCTV exposure of children's smart watches radiation and security issues, wearable giants acquired, Xiaomi ecological chain independent... Based on this, Xiaobian comprehensive reference to the research report of relevant professional platforms, finishing The top 10 most influential news events in the wearable industry this year. The following content is treated as a New Year gift for you who are interested in wearable products.

Major foreign events:

Apple officially released Apple Watch

Since the advent of Apple's smart watches, news about it has been circulating on the Internet, and time, battery life, screens, operations, etc. have become the focus of discussion. In the early morning of March 10th, 2015, Apple finally shaken the last layer of the Apple Watch at the spring conference. The highest price of licensed goods was 126,000. It is not enough for the kidneys! Consumers have finally seen the true face of Apple Watch, and whether Apple Watch can subvert smartphones has become a hot topic in the industry.

Apple has adopted a square design, which is said to be because design director Jonathan believes that the square screen is more convenient to read the list-style notice; this design also has a source - the final shape of the Apple Watch is derived from the 1904 Cartier Santos watch series, which may be Help Apple prove that high-end watches also have a square shape.

Apple has never given a product such a variety of options, Apple Watch has two different sizes (38 and 42 mm), three materials (stainless steel, aluminum alloy, 18K gold, each material has two colors), And six different styles of straps, each with a variety of colors to choose from. If you mix these, you can produce more combinations. It is worth mentioning that, regardless of the 42 or 38 mm style, such a small touch screen is not convenient to operate, Apple can not change this, but they add an operational dimension to the screen: velocity sensing. This is a feature that no other competitor has, and it is also one of the killers of Apple Watch, which can generate different interactive functions according to different pressures.

Its main functions can be divided into two types: the extension of the iPhone function, and the unique features of the watch itself. It needs to be used with the iPhone (iPhone 5 or higher, iOS 8.2 and above), because almost all of the application computing part is on the phone, it can be said that the application installed on the Apple Watch is not independent, it is only the iPhone version on the wrist. Special presentation

Xiao Bian Comments: When the Apple Watch was just released, many people, including myself, sighed at the time of the live broadcast that "it is actually a party!". Square watches, most likely cause people to think about the small screen plastic electronic watch. However, each edge is polished to a very fine level, even better than I thought, because the area is small, the sapphire glass is more obvious than the iPhone 6, and the rounded rectangular watch feels arc in the hand, metal Although the body is cold, it feels soft. This can greatly reduce the discrimination against square watches.

Google Stops Selling Google Glass: The "Retreat" of the "Star" of the Past

Google announced that it would stop selling Google Glass on January 19 and move the project out of Google X. Google’s official blog says Google Glass “graduates” and, in addition to being offered to certified partners, or commercializing in hospitals and factories, they no longer offer these beta products to individual users. So, whether you think it is "anti-human" or "high-precision", you will not see it for a long time.

In 2012, Google Glass was also the darling of fashion and technology. Google's co-founder Sergey Brin also took it to the runway of New York Fashion Week. In 2013, the Google Glass craze of the development version was soon released. Cooling, Seattle, the United Kingdom and other public places began to be banned, saying that it violated personal privacy; in 2014, GoogleGlass became synonymous with privacy violations and spoofs, and the wearer was attacked in San Francisco, ridiculing its content more than positive reports Easy to spread... Google Glass's three years is like riding a roller coaster.

In addition, in the eyes of ordinary consumers, Glass is a kind of "promising" product, coupled with the price of up to 1,500 US dollars (explored version of Glass, about 9310 yuan), it is directly prohibitive. Moreover, it has never found its own accurate positioning, and many application scenarios only sound beautiful (such as voice control, video call, navigation, etc.), but in fact many technologies are not yet mature, and can not achieve satisfactory users. Experience, so even if consumers buy Glass, they will be shelved after a fresh energy.

As a consumer product, no matter whether Google Glass technology is fully prepared, but at least, legislation, and the social environment pay attention to privacy protection, Google Glass is a daily wearable AR with complete camera and recording function. Equipment is still difficult to become a real consumer-grade product.

However, even if Google Glass failed as a consumer product, it succeeded in bringing the concept of wearable devices, AR and so on to the spotlight.

Xiao Bian Comments: Objectively speaking, Glass is indeed a very powerful product, coupled with Google's own demonstration role in the technology industry, which has become a benchmark in the wearable field during the two years since its birth. Products have even spawned a range of smart eyewear products. However, Google’s call to stop Glass can be regarded as a “hot and a little dry” wearable for nearly a year. Although the future is infinitely beautiful, but the steps are too big, it will still appear high and low.

Fitbit: Setting a price for wearables

On June 19th, American smart bracelet manufacturer Fitbit was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. As the first wearable device company listed in the US, Fitbit's share price rose 48.4% to $29.68 on the first day of listing. .

Forbes Magazine commented that this was one of the most anticipated initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2015. Many industry insiders also said that the listing of Fitbit will play a positive role in stimulating and demonstrating both the international and domestic wearable markets.

In 2014, Fitbit achieved its first annual profit, which made its financial position in a good stage, and its revenue in the first quarter of 2015 still doubled year-on-year. Fitbit's market share also leads with 34% and has a cash flow of $237.8 million. In fact, even the US President Barack Obama has worn his bracelet, and the celebrity effect is obvious.

But more importantly, it provides a reference for valuations for wearables that are still financing or pending financing. This includes its competitor Jawbone, who had received more than $3.3 billion in valuations for financing $250 million.

Not only that, but also has guiding significance for Chinese manufacturers. This means that the next financing of Xiaomi bracelet manufacturer Huami Technology can have more practical reference targets instead of "city dream rate."

But the bad news is that the challenges are still a lot. This year, Jawbone repeatedly accused Fitbit of robbing employees and stealing intellectual property rights , and infringing related patents.

Smart watches such as the Apple Watch are often considered to be Fitbit's biggest competitors. The watch can completely replace the bracelet from the functional alternative, which is already the consensus of the industry. The reason why the trend has not been reversed is that the price of the watch is much higher than the bracelet. However, with the addition of more and more value-added services to smart watch manufacturers such as Apple, such as health monitoring, users' choices will definitely be more inclined to fully functional products.

Xiao Bian Comments: Fitbit listing is like a brainwashing inspirational story, giving more confidence in the industry, but in such fierce competition, domestic wearable device manufacturers should not imagine how to quickly rise into the future, how to survive for a long time. It may be more meaningful to go on. After that, survival is the most urgent need.

Nike bracelet exaggerated publicity was punished

According to reports: Apple and Nike reached a settlement agreement with the plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against "Nike FuelBand bracelet data is not allowed to be sued by users". Nike paid the plaintiff's application for 2.4 million US dollars in compensation, that is, January 19, 2012 Customers who purchase FuelBand between June 17, 2015 will be offered a $15 indemnity or a Nike $25 gift card (limited to US and Puerto Rican customers), and Apple will not pay any fees.

Nike and Apple have moved from a partner who is getting rich together to a difficult brother because of the Nike FuelBand bracelet. In this lawsuit, Nike made a decision to take the relevant compensation, but it does not mean that it and Apple admitted that the plaintiff alleged that "Nike FuelBand can not accurately record the calorie consumption, as stated in the advertisement, The number of walking steps; moreover, Nike and Apple knew the problem, but still carried out inappropriate "propaganda" errors in sales.

This lawsuit is not so much a lawsuit against the technology of the wearable device industry, but rather a lawsuit against the marketing of new technology. From this perspective, the significance of this lawsuit can be described as very significant. Today, with the rapid development of new technological innovations , ordinary users' understanding and understanding of new technologies cannot be synchronized with the development of science and technology, and more rely on three sources of information to build awareness: First, the enterprise itself" "Package"; second is the advocacy of the media; third is the interpretation of opinion leaders.

The Nike compensation incident can be said to be an endorsement for the entire wearable device industry. Regardless of whether the user says or not, their doubts about the accuracy of monitoring results of these smart bracelets and watches are there, and Nike chooses compensation. The solution can alleviate doubts in certain procedures. After all, in the era of technology, even PCs or smart phones cannot provide us with completely reliable results. The use of a WORD cannot be guaranteed to be stable.

Xiao Bian Comments: Nowadays, in order to gain eyeballs, some companies self-directed and advocated some marketing "drama" to mislead consumers, such as the common occurrence of product sales and performance, including the false promotion of Internet companies; for this era and this era For people, perhaps we are all facing a new test of business ethics. Nike is a living example. It tells us that bragging is not a tax, and if you are irresponsible, you have to go to court.

Fossil spends $260 million to acquire Misfit

In the early morning of November 13, fashion brand group Fossil announced the acquisition of Misfit, a wearable smart hardware startup, for $260 million. You are not mistaken. It is the Misfit that has accumulated tens of millions of users around the world. Misfit, which is a perfect blend of health, it was acquired! There is no doubt that "fashion" is a development path for wearable devices in the future.

Fossil is a US-based fashion brand whose main products are fashion watches that are cheaper than traditional luxury watches, as well as jewelry, bags and apparel. In fact, before the acquisition of Misfit, the company has already set foot in the smart wearable device industry, a new smart device business group, launched in August this year a smart wrist device called Q series, including two smart bracelets Q Reveler and Q Dreamer, a smart watch with a notification reminder, Q Grant, etc. However, due to the numerous manufacturers in the bracelet market, the products launched by this fashion company did not cause much repercussions.

Misfit is one of the hottest smart hardware companies founded in 2011 by founder Sonny Vu ​​and former Apple CEO John Sculley. Headquartered in Vietnam, the company's software and hardware R&D, production and marketing teams are located in Seoul, South Korea, California and Beijing. Currently, a series of smart wearable and smart home products, such as Shine and Flash, are launched. welcome.

According to Fossil, the acquisition not only means buying Misfit's impressive fitness tracking technology, especially its long-lasting battery technology, but also means expanding its connected technology products "new distribution channels, new products , new brands and New corporate partnerships, including music, fitness, healthcare and digital entities." Misfit will not only find a way to integrate with Fossil, but will also play an important role in other brands of the parent company, including Skagen and Michael Kors.

Xiao Bian Comments: Undoubtedly, with the proliferation of many manufacturers but the market for wearable and health tracking devices, competition in this market is increasing. Although Misfit's first-generation ring-shaped products have indeed attracted the love of countless users, in the past two years, under the pressure of many manufacturers, Misfit seems to have not responded much in this highly competitive market. It’s not a good way to take advantage of the fashion company. I believe that this acquisition by the Fossil brand will bring more vitality to the startup, Misfit.