Last time we discussed the genesis of biometrics as part of our lifestyle. This month I would like to discuss the problems that we are finding with wearables and how we overcome them (or not). Like most new technologies, and this is no different, there are teething problems, and our specific ecosystem has had many. Even with all the issues, there has not been a dampening effect and the field of wearables and dressables is growing extraordinarily for a relatively expensive area of interest. Nonetheless, or, then again, troubles do lie ahead for the wearable community.
Even with the potential storms that lie await for the market, it is still one of the fastest growing fields of the high-tech industrial complex with many M&A’s and new companies appearing on the horizon. In a 2016 online survey of 1,000 US adults, PwC found that the adoption of wearables is growing and that 49% of all participants reported owning a wearable device. So what are the challenges that we are finding and are we able to overcome them in the near or medium term? In a brief review of the literature and the complaints on-line, we find that some are high octane! We all have our personal biases and predilections, and mine is battery life. I can deal with many of the others, but the issue of regular charging drives me around the bend, especially as I am a road (well, airplane) warrior.
Viewing from a macro level – 40,000 feet, these issues include (in no particular order):
- Price Point – they are expensive; while there are knockoff’s in the tens of Dollars range, they are not the devices that I am talking about. The average price-range for a quality wearable today is between $150-$399 – a sizable price for a device that many want, will use for a while and then discard. Top of the range, the Apple Watch (series 2) starts at $399 and increases in price depending on the quality, size, material used to build it, etc. While this is expensive, the consumers that purchase it are a specific breed, in many cases they are the “leaders” within the community. In a recent trip to the USA I sat in the executive lounge of one of the airlines and looked (surreptitiously) at the watches of the people that were there – out of 27 people that I managed to see, 19 had an Apple Watch (4 women). While unscientific, it does show a trend. Will the prices decrease, I doubt it as many of us will pay for quality (and status) even if we won’t admit it!
- Ergonomic Appearance – they are not “sexy” and some of them are not “face turners;” While the Apple Watch did change this to a very high degree, many of the wearables are “clunkers” and are not a fashionista accessory. Asking a number of my female colleagues as to the “fashion” value of many wearables, most of them were not interested. Their best answer was that they would wear them only for sport and not as a daily accessory. I think that many men, on the other hand, are not as pernickety and will wear the Fitbit’s of the world even if it is not the most “good looking” option. In my personal opinion, the Apple Watch (Series 2) is the most “sexy” of the wearables out there but others are catching up. I am waiting for the legacy brands, like Audemars Piguet, TAG Heuer, Patek Philippe, IWC Schaffhausen, Blancpain, Chopard, Rolex, Breitling and Zenith to come out with their health/sport related wearables.
- Integration issues: It is virtually impossible to integrate between operation platforms; It is a definite personal ideology as IOS is only Apple and Android and its derivatives are all the rest. For those that use IPhone for example, will not purchase an Android platformed wearable device and vice a versa. It’s a basic binary philosophy.
- Power Issues & energy inefficiency – battery life is short, poor and they constantly need to be charged; My personal gripe, irritant, and nuisance – I detest that I have to charge the battery once a day. If I run for 90 minutes in the morning and have the Bluetooth on and use my Apple Watch as I do, by 9pm I am at 20% and have to charge it. Fortuitously, the Apple Watch charges very fast and within an hour I can have a near full charge, so that I can measure my sleep, but it is still a bother. What we want is at least a week (I would love more) but “beggars cannot be choosers” and therefore we do need to be grateful for what we have and use it to the best of our advantage.
- Data Ownership – The legality of who owns the data collected has not been established. As much of the data is personal but stored on apps, it’s a complicated legal question; while a very deep and nuanced question, the legal debate is still continuing. Recently we have seen data leakages of secret information by WikiLeaks from espionage organizations – while governments have tried to control that, we have found that it is near impossible. The apps that we use (and choose) to collect our personal data are basically mammoth repositories of records who may have a legal right to claim possession of the collected data – even if it’s not theirs. The claim, that the relationship between the App and the user is a mutual relationship – (I let you use my site for a small fee or for free, and I can peddle your data) is a legitimate argument. Our choice is not to use it and thereby preventing our personal data leakage. I know that many will not agree with my previous statement, but I am of the opinion, that we have anyway lost much of our own personal propriety data. So, is the data governance process so out of whack (or out of tune) with reality? Do present laws protect us from data larceny or pilfering? The basic answer is no, as we all have a sort of ownership of our personal data (that we put consciously on-line) but that is not the question – the question is rather who owns the tools to analyze the data and who owns the ability to interpret the results – and that is the open issue!
- Connectivity Issues – a phone needs to be accessible all the time in order for the device to work properly as they don’t have an independent source for Internet connectivity; I think one of the biggest failures of our generation and the wearable technology corps is the lack of an independent Bluetooth/wireless (or the like) ability for the wearable itself. We are still “connected” to something in the bigger picture. While the devices have independent readings and shallow abilities, we are still far away from a completely self-determining device.
- Privacy and security concerns over personal data – the lack of privacy is of great concern to many people; people, get real – the whole “privacy” debate has gone “bonkers” as the proponents are so over-active in the debate, that they have lost track of reality. Privacy, as we know it, is no longer a “social norm” and in fact, we have become pawns in the realization of Foucault’s Panoptican principle. Privacy and security concerns over personal data – while this is an important issue and there are many tears within the “privacy coalition,” if you don’t want your information “bits” to be used, get off the net. Don’t they realize that when they signed up with their bank, cellphone providers, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, date.com, Instagram and other social media, they voluntary gave up their data and thus their privacy. The breakdown of the boundary between the private and public domain is a new dimension of modern society. This voyeurism is now part and parcel of our generation, if we like it or not. I think that so many of Generation Z just don’t understand that one cannot eat the cake and keep it whole!
So, in short, there are still many technological problems that affect our continued usage of wearables but we have not given up hope. I know that there are many engineers working over-time to come up with answers to these challenges. The new devices of 2017 have not really bridged this technology abyss but there is still some days left and hope that by year’s end, we will have some breakthrough. As I have articulated above and in other places, my wish is for extreme battery power and whoever can deliver the “messiah” in this (and can be integrated on an IOS platform as well), will have my vote and Dollars!
