arables also typically have GPS and can use location and distance over time to calculate various metrics including, but not limited to, the following:
Number of steps
Approximate calories burned (given the user’s weight)
Devices with select sensors can (collectively) determine:
Sleep time and quality of sleep
The downsides to some current devices include the inability to be accurate pedometers (i.e., accurately measure footsteps), as they sometimes track hand motion that may not be in sync with walking.
The Fitbit Recall
The Fitbit Force has been a relatively popular bit of wearable tech that was recalled.
The Fitbit Force wearable is officially off the market as of mid-Mar 2014, due to complaints of skin irritation and blistering.
$50M in venture capital was raised by Fitbit.
1M units solid in the U.S.; 28K in Canada, after going on sale in Oct 2013.
9.9K complaints of skin irritation and 250 of “blistering” were reported to the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
Fitbit actually reported a higher figure of 1.7%% of users experiencing problems, possibly due to nickel in part of the device that touches skin. (Nickel is a common allergen found in watch backplates and some jewelry.)
One theory for the skin irritations reported is that since the company encourages wearing the Fitbit through the day, users are finding that sweat, soap and moisturizers are being trapped under the smartband, causing “contact dermatitis.”
Another theory is mass psychogenic illness, whereby people hear about other people getting sick due to something and also get sick because they think they’ve been exposed to the same germs or toxins.
What Apple Is Up To
Apple is not yet in the wearables market, at the time of writing, though online rumors are flying that some time in 2014, they will reveal a durable curved glass “iWatch” smartband with some in-built sensors. The glass, called Willow Glass and made by Corning, is thin and flexible — the product of over 10 years of development.
The iWatch sensors are further rumored to be able to to measure blood pressure, hydration, heart rate and more.
Bloomberg.com had said in Feb 2013, as many as 100 product designers were working on this Apple device.
TheWeek.com quotes analyst Katy Huberty saying also in Feb 2013 that Apple’s involvement in the wearables market could be worth $10-15B annually for them alone.
Apple has been filing multiple patents for HUDs (Heads Up Displays) that stream data to the human retina — possibly for a device similar to the Google Glass which might work in tandem with the rumored iWatch.
At present, Apple does have iOS mobile OS ecosystem partners who make wearable accessories that plugin or sync to iOS mobile devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)
For example, the Nike+ app runs even on the iPod Nano (complete with pedometer), and wirelessly connects to Nike FuelBand smart band (which — which measures calories burned, steps, distance, pace and more. The app can also wirelessly connect to heart-rate monitors.
Apple CEO Tim Cook wears a Nike FuelBand and sits on that company’s board of directors.
Apple is also said to be gearing up for mobile healthcare and fitness in the form of an app, codenamed Healthbook, said to be scheduled for release with the iOS 8 mobile OS in late 2014. Healthbook will supposedly be able to perform fitness tracking (distance walked, calories burned) as well as certain vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, glucose levels and more), and track medication being taken. This would suggest the possibility of a wearable monitoring device that would sync with the Healthbook app. Whether it will be the rumored iWatch or something produced by a partner company is to be seen.
Two Apple executives (Jeff Williams and Bud Tribble) met with FDA officials in Dec 2013 to discuss health applications.
The company has also been hiring various experts from the sensor, fitness and medical industries. One is is Michael O’Reilly, former EVP and CMO for Masimo — though reports say he is not exclusively working on the iWatch. (Masimo produced a finger-based pulse monitor that