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Research / Insights on current and emerging industry topics

Are Wearables A Good Fit For Your Future?

May 15, 2015 | By Research Team—DCN

If estimates that more than 1 million Apple Watches sold on launch day are even close to correct, that means Apple sold more Watches in a day than all the manufacturers of Android Wear devices (Samsung, LG, etc.) shipped in 2014. That gives Apple quite a leg up in the smartwatch race with Google – and don’t forget the crowd-funded Pebble.

Is the Apple Watch overhyped? Will the Apple Watch somehow serve as a bridge to a true wearables revolution, involving not just smartwatches but also virtual reality (like Facebook’s Oculus Rift) and augmented reality devices (like Google Glass)?

Mixed reviews of the Apple Watch and the uncertainty surrounding future development of smartwatch platforms have given some people – also in our industry – pause for thought. Begging the question for news publishers: What should we do about smartwatches and other wearables? How do we assess their potential?

These are among the questions that the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers addresses in its new report, “Wearables: The key considerations for news publishers.” Rather than encourage publishers “to launch 1,000 apps for smartwatches, or to partner or invest in startups developing VR and AR technologies,” the report seeks to raise the key questions about these potentially disruptive technologies to help publishers better determine a course of action – or non-action.

Some of the features in the report:

  • FAQs about wearables
  • Mario GarcÍa on design of smartwatches
  • Jeff Jarvis on how newsrooms should respond
  • Apple Watch: reviews of the reviewers
  • Usability guru Bruce Tognazzini on the Apple Watch
  • Kerry Northrup on how wearables may impact journalists’ work
  • Ralf Ressmann on why journalists cannot say no to smartwatches
  • Kim Svendsen on how smartwatches will create a shortcut to news
  • What about advertising and revenue possibilities on wearables
  • How to get a head start on implementing new technologies
  • Wearables research from partners of the Global Alliance of Media Innovation
  • Major questions for discussion

 

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