As one of new categories of smart wearable devices, smartwatches have been covered by media from all possible angles since last year.Some even joked that the device has forced the US cartoon character Dick Tracy to eat his heart out!
However, people like Bob O'Donnell, founder and chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, LLC, have started to raise the question that theso-called smartwatches are just tech accessories for smart phones and that the prices do not match their functions.
Compared to the cool response from consumers, the investment market has turned white-hot, and some are even saying thatoverinvestment and potential bubbles have started to appear in the market, especially since not many brands have made big profits.
In China, the industry has attracted considerable number of angel investors, technology startups and Internet companies who all want to graba piece of the pie.
Taking the wearable devices market as a whole, the global demand is projected to get 10 times bigger in the next two or three years,according to Business Insider. In terms of China, the market will see an explosive growth backed by the launch of 4G technology service andan increase in smartphone penetration.
According to iResearch, an Internet consultancy firm, 6.75 million units of the devices were sold in China last year, with the sales volumereaching 2.03 billion yuan ($16.11 million). In 2016, the market will witness constant growth with an expected sale of 73.5 million units worth16.94 billion yuan, added iResearch.
Here are 10 brands that represent the latest development trends in the industry; two of them are pioneers in the Chinese market. Moreover,we are also sharing the yet-to-be released Apple's iWatch and Google Watch images that have not been cofirmed by their respectivecompanies. (All brands are arranged in random order)
Samsung Gear 2
New Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch is displayed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 23,2014. Samsung Electronics unveiled a newsmartwatch and fitness band along with the latest version of its flagship Galaxy smartphone on Monday, demonstrating how the battleground for innovationis shifting from the hand to the wrist. Picture taken on February 23，2014. [Photo/Agencies]
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Sony SmartWatch 2
A Sony SmartWatch2 is displayed during the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan 7, 2014. The watch retails for $199.00. [Photo/Agencies]
Pebble Watch
Eric Migicovsky, CEO of Pebble, displays his company's smartwatch in Palo Alto, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. This new watch not onlytells time, but also connects to smartphones within 10 meters. [Photo / dfic.cn]
LG Lifeband Touch
A LG Lifeband Touch is displayed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona February 24, 2014. [Photo/dfic.cn]
Moto 360
A Moto 360 smartwatch is seen in this Motorola Mobility LLC handout image released to Reuters on March 18,2014. Google Inc said that smartwatchesbased on its Android mobile software will be available later this year, enlisting a variety of partners and signaling the Internet company's intent to play aleading role in what could be the next big computing market. [Photo / Agencies]
Motoactiv
Promotional photo of Motoactiv smartwatch is seen at its official website. [Photo / motoactv.com]
inWatch (China)
An inWatch smartwatch is seen at its official Sina Weibo account. [Photo / inWatch]
Geek Watch (China)
A Geek Watch is seen at its official Sina Weibo account. [Photo /iGeek]
Google Watch
According to Techradar, with a flood of wearables now spilling onto the market, it's hard to imagine Google not throwing glances in the samedirection. While AndroidPolice says that according to its anonymous source, the device is reportedly called Google Watch, with the officialcode name Gem, and falls into the Nexus category of devices. Whether a future watch will keep the codename Gem is uncertain.
A concept image of Google Watch posted on androidpolice.com. [Photo / androidpolice.com]
Apple iWatch
According to a report by Taiwan's Economic Daily News, Apple's eye-catching smartwatch, named iWatch, could be unveiled in the thirdquarter of this year and the company aims to produce a total of 65 million units of the devices.
Designer Todd Hamilton sketches out different possible versions of the iWatch. [Photo / toddham.com]
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