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Though the hype surrounding some of the core wearable technology sectors is declining, an IDTechEx report argues that the market will be worth over $30 billion in 2016, with over $11 billion of the total generated by newly popular products including smartwatches and fitness trackers.

The value of the market is expected to rise to over $150 billion by 2026 and IDTechEx anticipates disruption, commoditisation and rapid evolution of product form factors.

Companies are now beginning to look...

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According to a report by MarketResearchReports.Biz, even though China is the most immediately attractive market for wearables due its proportion of potential early adopters, the wearable payments market is yet to kick into gear as most players are still zoning in on form factor and functionality.

Though Apple is the early mover with its Apple Watch that features payments capability, it is too early to ascertain which players will dominate the market as the space is set to attract a lot of...

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The wearables market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) geographical segment witnessed growth of 65.3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2016, according to IDC, which monitors seven major countries across MEA, even as shipments into these countries totalled 419,925 units during the quarter. IDC projects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.1% for the 2016–2020 period for the MEA wearables market.

Nakul Dogra, a senior research analyst for personal computing, systems,...

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Wearables today are limited in their flexibility due to current widely-adopted materials being unable to carry the current required for electronic devices. Many researchers have attempted to overcome this hurdle with nanomaterials, but a new ultrathin film could be the most promising advancement yet. 

An international team of nanomaterial researchers...

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According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, the wearable market in India was largely reliant on fitness bands, with 87.7% of market share in the first quarter of 2016 while smart wearables, devices that run on third-party applications, had market share of about 12.3%. IDC also reported that overall wearable sales during the quarter totalled a little over 400,000 units.

Xiaomi was the leading vendor in the quarter with 27.1% market share and Mi, its affordable...

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Ericsson surveyed 5,000 smartphone users in Brazil, China, South Korea, the UK and the US for a ConsumerLab report on the views of the 280 million smartphone users around the globe about wearable devices. 

According to Ericsson's 

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Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison claim to have developed the fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits, which could disrupt the healthcare wearables space.

The details were published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials and the team was led by Zhenqiang “Jack” Ma, Lynn H. Matthias Professor in Engineering and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in electrical and computer...

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A report from SNS Research argues that the global wearables market will see 140 million unit sales and $30 billion of revenue by the end of 2016.

The research firm adds that fitness and sports centric wearable device shipments are anticipated to witness a CAGR of 28% over the next half decade, finally totalling 80 million device shipments by the end of 2020.

Wireless carriers are increasingly integrating wearable devices within their M2M and IoT strategies and these devices are...

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A new study by Grand View Research projects that the valuation of the global wearable technology market is expected to reach $196.5 million by 2022.

Investment in research and development by a large number of industry players is expected to play a key role in growth in the wearable technology market in the years to 2022, according to the researchers. Another key factor set to positively impact the market is increasing disposable income across the globe.

During the forecast period,...

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The total shipment volumes of wearable devices grew 67.2% year on year to 19.7 million units during the most recent quarter, according to analysis from the International Data Corporation (IDC), with Fitbit continuing to lead the pack.

The figures, from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, found Fitbit continues to be the leading vendor, followed by Xiaomi, Apple and Garmin, with Samsung and BBK tied for fifth spot.

IDC's wearables team research manager, Ramon Llamas,...

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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have established a way to make skin the next user interface for technology – solving the issue of small displays on most wearables. 

Current smartwatches are more powerful than their interfaces allow them to be. When you cover most of the display with a single finger, it limits what interactions you can perform with a device. A team at the Future Interfaces...

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Newzoo has released new research which looks at the VR purchase intention of consumers across 16 countries, and found a link with eSports fans in particular. 

Virtual sports enthusiasts represent 45 percent of those who intend to purchase VR, which goes...

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Many of us are expected to utilise our wearables for payments by 2018, if projections by Juniper Research are correct. The research firm expects contactless payments through wearable devices to reach $95 billion annually by 2018, up from less than $35 billion last year.  

Apple’s entry into NFC gave the industry a much needed boost, and could well be seen as...

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A new report from Argus Insights argues that consumers are more satisfied with wearable hardware than the apps it contains.

Though wearable technology is extending itself from wrist-worn devices to include shirts, tattoos, hats, shoes and other forms, actionable collected data is the key feature that counts, according to the researchers. The survey covers over 136,000 consumer reviews of wearables devices and applications from November 2015 to February 2016.

Argus Insights CEO, John Feland,...

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Shipments of wearable devices across the globe are expected to see a 38.2% year on year increase and reach 110 million by the end of 2016, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. The market will grow on account of the pervasiveness of new and different wearable products. However, the main focus of the wearables market will continue to be smartwatches.

The combined total of watch and wristband shipments will increase from 72.2...

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IDC estimates that the global wearable device market is anticipated to see 44% year on year increase in shipments to 111.1 million units in 2016. Additionally, the segment is expected to witness a five year CAGR of 28%, resulting in 214.6 million units by 2019. As a result, EQM Indexes is launching an index, named WEARXT, to monitor the wearables segment.

WEARXT monitors the combined performance of around 45 to 55 global stocks that generate revenue from wearable technology...

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New research from the International Data Corporation (IDC) has examined wearables ‘intenders’ – consumers who plan on purchasing a wearable product in the next six months.

These consumers are expected to play a leading role in the next surge of wearables adoption in the US. The survey’s data is based on a poll, undertaken by IDC's Buyer Behaviour Practice, of 1,500 Americans who intend to purchase a wearables product in the next six months.

The research...

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The global wearable technology market is estimated to total $196.5 million by 2022 mainly on account of research and development undertaken by a large number of industry players, according to Grand View Research.

Increasing disposable income across the globe, technological advancement, price, quality, battery life, 3D printing and crowd funding are other factors that are expected to make a positive impact. Players in this industry include Apple, Adidas, Garmin, Fitbit, Nike, Google,...

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The latest research note from CCS Insight projects sales of 411 million smart wearables, worth $34 billion, in 2020. The research firm anticipates robust growth over the next five years, with sales of 123 million units, generating $14 billion in revenue in 2016.

Wrist-worn devices are the star innovators in the market, with fitness, activity and sports trackers accounting for almost 50% of all shipments in the next year, at more than 60 million units. Meanwhile, smartwatch sales...

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A study from Michigan Technological University has revealed progress made on more versatile wearable technology using iron instead of semiconductors.

The research, published in Scientific Reports and led by Yoke Khin Yap, a professor of physics at Michigan Technological University, argues that silicon semiconductors are susceptible to overheating and face limitations in terms of size, as well as being at a disadvantage as they leak electricity. The alternative approach suggested by...