Smart watches have warmed up in the past two years.

As a lower-threshold product in wearable devices, smart watches have warmed up in the last two years.

At the I/O Developers Conference held in late June, Google introduced the Android Wear system platform for wearable devices, and demonstrated the first three models of Samsung Gear, Moto 360 and LG G Watch. smart watch. At the beginning of July, Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch were officially released, and the prices were all above $200. In addition, Moto 360, developed by Google's Motorola, was also demonstrated at the I/O Developers Conference. It is said that the product's appearance and metal texture are very good and will be on sale in the near future.

Google currently only provides the Android Wear system platform, which requires hardware vendors to support it. But in any case, Google has taken the first step around the layout of the Android ecosystem. In contrast, Apple's main competitor, Apple, seems to be a bit slower.

Until now, the rumors about Apple's launch of iWatch have new versions almost every day. The rectangular design, the release in October, the use of batteries, the i0S8, and the support of health tracking have been passed down. In particular, it has recently been reported that Apple has dug a sales director from the famous Swiss watch company Tag Heuer, which makes people believe that Apple's smart watch is getting closer.

In addition, another Internet giant, Microsoft, is said to have already laid out a game.

Recently, the US Patent and Trademark Office published a patent filed two years ago by Microsoft, which describes the technology and uses of smart watches. Microsoft has not commented on whether it will launch a smart watch. As early as 2004, Microsoft launched a SPOT smart watch that provides instant messaging, news, stocks, and weather forecasts. However, this product market is not performing well and will end in 2008.

Some industry analysts believe that if Microsoft enters the smart watch market now, it will face multiple competition. For example, Samsung Galaxy Gear, Pebble, etc., which are already in the game, and the upcoming Moto 360, even include the rumored iWatch.

Speaking of Galaxy Gear, you have to mention the "active" in the field of smart watches - Samsung. In the past year, Samsung has launched a series of products such as Galaxy Gear, Galaxy Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit (mixed products of sports bracelets and smart watches). Among them, the shape and configuration of the first generation of Galaxy Gear are well-received, and the price has dropped from 300 dollars to less than 200 dollars.

Although the market performance is slightly poor, Samsung has not stopped working in the field of smart watches. Recently launched Gear Live with Android Wear operating system is regarded as a tool to help Samsung stand firm in the market.

Chinese Internet companies naturally won't easily miss this huge market. Recently, Tencent WeChat, JD.com and Alibaba have launched a smart hardware platform to attract developers. In advance, the smart hardware industry still in the cradle is taken over, and the ambitions of the domestic giants have become clear.

Along with the continuous warming of the field of wearable devices, not only international and domestic giants have entered the market, but a large number of domestic hardware manufacturers have also followed suit. For a time, a large number of products with the "smart watch" banner emerged in China. However, in March, domestic hardware manufacturer Tuman Technology was pushed to the cusp of public opinion because of the disparity between the concept map of smart watches and actual products. The chaos of domestic smart watches is due to the quick success of the manufacturers, regardless of whether the products are mature or not, only to keep up with the market boom and profit from them.

Domestic industry professionals who have tried several smart watches think that "at present, the gimmicks of smart watches are far greater than the actual selling points."

The industry insider said: "In addition to health tracking, there is really no practical use, and smart watches are also facing the run of various professional tracking devices in terms of health tracking. In addition, the battery life of some smart watches in Samsung is simply Jokes, the display of some smart watches is difficult to see in the sun. Push notifications are convenient, but most of the time you have to switch to a smartphone to handle them."

Even Pebble, which has sold more than 400,000 pieces, is not only praised. Some media said that "the second generation of Pebble Steel is the first smart watch worthy of possession", but some users who have used this product said that "it is very interesting in many aspects, but to be honest, its biggest lethality lies in An ever-changing dial."

The comparison search engine Find The Best has found in the search results that "people don't care about smart watches." Ben, the company's senior marketing manager, also wrote an article on the "four sins" of smart watches - too thick, too expensive, too expensive, and lack of good reasons.

In particular, the last question of "there is a lack of sufficient reason" is really to suppress the morale of smart watches.

Although the current understanding of smart watches is only at the level of curiosity, there is not much demand for this product worn on the wrist, but the capital market, Internet companies and hardware manufacturers are quite optimistic about the smart watch market.

IHS, a world-renowned market information organization, believes that by 2018, the market value of wearable devices will reach $60 billion. Market research firm ON World estimates that the wearable device industry can reach $50 billion in the next five years, including smart watches and eyewear.

Domestic industry commentators believe that smart watches are not just a "man-made" product, but they have more or less partial replacements with wearable devices such as mobile phones and smart bracelets. In this case, smart watches for vertical areas may have a better market.

How do smart watches have a broader market space in the future? The industry has given some suggestions.

First of all, to reflect the needs of users, in order to convince users to buy smart watches. Currently, smart watches have two main uses, tracking the wearer's activity track (which can be paired with health applications) and pairing with a smartphone to display information such as missed calls, weather, and text messages. Although these functions seem to be inseparable from the user's life, but think carefully, there is no possibility to produce a strong user viscosity.

On the one hand, tracking or managing personal sports and health information functions, other wearable devices such as smart bracelets can also be realized; on the other hand, most smart watches still rely on smart phones to be used, which seems to only become mobile phone functions. Supplement. So, how can smart watches reflect the different user needs of other products? This is one of the issues that companies need to consider.

Second, affordable products are more attractive. Whether the smart watch will become an independent product or continue to play the role of “mobile assistant” for a period of time, it should be more affordable to the people. At present, most foreign smart watch products are priced at more than 200 US dollars. For users, it is not a good deal to spend money to buy a mobile phone supplement product. Some industry analysts believe that in the future, smart watches may be divided into low-end, mid-range and high-end categories, and prices will decline, which will create greater temptation for users.

Again, the design is more in line with the user's aesthetic needs. As many users who have used smart watch products feedback, most smart watches are too thick and too clumsy. For example, the smart watches of the Samsung Gear product line are always "too ugly" by users. Nowadays, many manufacturers have made efforts to improve their appearance. For example, the Moto 360 is praised as “beautiful to cry” and its round dial is considered to be the closest design to a traditional watch.

Finally, configuration and performance are king. For example, smart watches are questioned the most endurance. If the battery is not strong, this smart product is not much different from ordinary watches. However, if the battery life is increased by sacrificing the screen resolution, etc., the user experience is poor. Therefore, if you want to get the favor of users, manufacturers need to find a way to make the product nearly perfect.