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Wearables only have 2 "killer applications", so far: notifications and fitness. To broaden their appeal they need to find others. I don't think that will happen

Wearables only have 2 "killer applications", so far: notifications and fitness. To broaden their appeal they need to find others. I don't think that will happen this year. The next likely killer application for wearables is probably automation, authentication and interaction with other devices. However the problem in this area is that the standards are too fragmented (AllJoyn, Homekit, Google's Brillo, etc) and the devices didn't reach critical mass, yet. But you can be sure wearable devices won't fade away.

Analemma_ 10y ago
The Apple Watch can do authentication to some extent: Authy has an Apple Watch app, and there's Apple Pay. This is the kind of stuff I don't think Fitbit can easily duplicate, which is why I think they're going to struggle in the future.
- diego_moita 10y ago
  > authentication to some extent The "to some extent" part is precisely a big part of my point when I mention fragmented standards and absence of critical mass. An incomplete killer application is not really "killer". Other devices (e.g: Android wear with smart-lock and Google Pay) also suffer from the "to some extent" illness. But you made a very good point about FitBit not being able to replicate. Their devices are too focused on health and notification. They don't even have the hardware to go beyond that.
- stcredzero 10y ago
  The Apple Watch can do authentication to some extent: Authy has an Apple Watch app, and there's Apple Pay. I'd love it if I could securely store all of my passwords on an Apple Watch, which would require my fingerprint to unlock. But only if there was Bluetooth integration for macOS and USB devices for integration with random computers.
  - kejaed 10y ago
    1Password has an Apple Watch app, and you can choose the passwords you want to have on your watch. With a PIN on the watch that locks it when taken off one's wrist, I'm pretty happy with that sort of security. Another step would be a extra 1Password pin, of some other kind of something you know code. A 4 pad touch screen that could use a combination of short press, long press, force-touch press as a combination would be pretty cool, come to think of it.

Analemma_ 10y ago

The Apple Watch can do authentication to some extent: Authy has an Apple Watch app, and there's Apple Pay. This is the kind of stuff I don't think Fitbit can easily duplicate, which is why I think they're going to struggle in the future.

diego_moita 10y ago
> authentication to some extent The "to some extent" part is precisely a big part of my point when I mention fragmented standards and absence of critical mass. An incomplete killer application is not really "killer". Other devices (e.g: Android wear with smart-lock and Google Pay) also suffer from the "to some extent" illness. But you made a very good point about FitBit not being able to replicate. Their devices are too focused on health and notification. They don't even have the hardware to go beyond that.
stcredzero 10y ago
The Apple Watch can do authentication to some extent: Authy has an Apple Watch app, and there's Apple Pay. I'd love it if I could securely store all of my passwords on an Apple Watch, which would require my fingerprint to unlock. But only if there was Bluetooth integration for macOS and USB devices for integration with random computers.
- kejaed 10y ago
  1Password has an Apple Watch app, and you can choose the passwords you want to have on your watch. With a PIN on the watch that locks it when taken off one's wrist, I'm pretty happy with that sort of security. Another step would be a extra 1Password pin, of some other kind of something you know code. A 4 pad touch screen that could use a combination of short press, long press, force-touch press as a combination would be pretty cool, come to think of it.