如何撬动800亿美元的可穿戴设备市场？关键在“隐形”

    有几个因素一直困扰着依然处于襁褓期的可穿戴技术市场。比如，电池领域缺乏创新，导致用户只能随身带着充电宝之类的设备。此外，可穿戴设备的界面过于简单，尽管随着时间的推移，这方面无疑将获得改善。

    还有一个大问题，即社交因素。除了硅谷等地的少数极客以外，很少有人觉得戴着一个像汽车徽标那么大的手表、眼镜或耳机之类的设备，是件很酷的事。

    英国市场观察机构瞻博研究公司声称，这种情况可能会发生变化。该公司认为，到2020年，可穿戴市场的价值将增长至800亿美元。关键在于如何让可穿戴设备和谐地融入人们的穿着，看起来不那么“显眼”。

    由此可以发现，苹果公司不断从时尚和服饰领域挖人的反常举动，必定是有所图的。包括《财富》记者菲利普•艾尔默•德怀特在内的许多观察人士都认为，新招募的时尚界人才将把智能手镯、手表、手环之类的私人物件打磨得更加精致（谷歌公司显然也在这样做）。最好且最有可能获利的可穿戴产品，可能就是那些能使它的技术完全融入到背景中的产品。

    然而，可穿戴产品毕竟是一个多样化的增长市场，它的意义不仅是一件能上网的饰物。那种能够依附在皮肤上的产品，比如MC10公司开发的“生物印章”，也可归入这一类别，不过这种技术还处于“萌芽初期的状态”，和智能手表相比，它需要消费习惯的更大转变。

    许多科技公司都准备从可穿戴潮流中获益，包括苹果、ARM、谷歌、英特尔、联想—摩托罗拉、LG、MC10、微软、Omate、高通、索尼、Withings，以及一些知名的可穿戴设备设计公司，比如加迪•阿米特的NewDealDesign和维斯•贝哈的Fuseproject公司。只要有了恰当的功能，消费者也会从中受益。（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎

    审校：任文科

    Several factors have dogged the nascent wearable technology market. The lack of breakthrough innovation around batteries, for one, requiring wearers to plug in on-the-go gadgets more than they’d like. The lack of sophistication around tiny user interfaces is another, though that will no doubt improve over time.

    But a big one? The social factor. Beyond the geeks of Silicon Valley and elsewhere, it’s just not cool to wear a watch, glasses, or headset that’s as big as a hood ornament.

    That’s going to change, according to Juniper Research. The British market observer believes that the wearable technology market will grow to $80 billion by 2020—and the key will be making the connected gadgets virtually indistinguishable from their disconnected peers.

    That means that Apple must be on to something as it continues to make atypical hires from the fashion and apparel world. Observers, includingFortune‘s own Philip Elmer-Dewitt, believe the new talent will help smooth the rough edges of a technology that’s as personal as a bracelet, watch, or ring. (So, apparently, does Google.) The best wearables, and the ones best positioned for profitability, may be those that allow their technology to completely recede into the background.

    Nevertheless, wearables will be a diverse growth market that’s not merely Internet-connected jewelry. Wearables that attach to the skin, such as MC10’s Biostamp, are also part of this category—though they’re in a “more embryonic state” and require a much larger shift in consumer habits than a smart watch, Juniper says.

    Many technology companies—including Apple, ARM, Google, Intel, Lenovo-Motorola, LG, MC10, Microsoft, Omate, Qualcomm, Sony, and Withings, plus wearables-savvy design firms like Gadi Amit’s NewDealDesign and Yves Béhar’sFuseproject—are well-positioned to benefit from the boom. With the right features, consumers are, too.