Picture credit: Fitbit

The latest figures from IDC show Fitbit continues to lead the way in global wearable device sales, but Apple slides alarmingly down the table.

According to the most recent Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker analysis, Fitbit sold 5.3 million units in Q316, up from 4.8m this time last year, while the company’s overall market share has risen to 23.0% from 2.14% in Q315.

This rise can partly be attributed to Apple’s relative demise. With 3.9m units shipped in the third...

(c)iStock.com/elwynn1130

A new piece of research from enterprise health platform provider Jiff argues that employees are ready for wearable devices in the workplace.

The report, which collates data from 14 large employers spanning almost two years of continuous data collection and almost 250,000 employees, shows that 31% were already offering wearable devices for tracking physical activity to their employees, with the number expected to go up to 54% by 2018. To put this in perspective, more employers surveyed...

(c)iStock.com/Mutlu Kurtbas

If there’s one thing analyst companies like to do, it’s disagree with each other. Gartner and IDC recently had slightly different paths over the future role of the CIO – and now Canalys is disagreeing with IDC over wearable shipments.

According to a note issued at the end of last week, Canalys argued that Apple shipped 2.8 million smartwatches in the third quarter, making a specific point that shipments compared favourably “despite reports to the...

(c)iStock.com/4774344sean

It had been prophesised, but now the chickens have truly come home to roost: latest figures from IDC show the smartwatch market has declined by 51.6% year over year.

The figures, released as part of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, showed 2.7 million units shipped globally in Q316, down from 5.6 million this time last year.

Apple remains top of the tree, although this does not tell the full story, with the Cupertino giant suffering almost the bulk of the...

(c)iStock.com/cacaroot

Meet MainTool. This startup, based in Paris and Madrid, offers a different take on the smartwatch argument by providing a ‘smart’ strap allowing users to keep the more traditional yet dumb watch interface.

The inspiration for MainTool is straightforward enough. A survey released today from analytics platform provider First Insight argued that among consumers, while many liked the designs of the Apple Watch, the Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire and the Motorola Moto 360 in particular,...

Picture credit: Jim Beam

Whiskey brand Jim Beam has launched its own equivalent of the Apple Watch in what the company describes as “the most anticipated tech release of the year.”

The Jim Beam Apple Watch claims to be the world’s most innovative ‘drinkable wearable’ with the capability to open up a 1.5 ounce shot glass on the user’s wrist. The watch, which is available for a limited time, also boasts a ‘streamlined interface’.

“Critics may ask,...

Picture credit: TcBoY Yeo/YouTube

A study from researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the University of St. Andrews argues how utilising different pressures and inputs could change the design of smartwatch and fitness band interfaces.

The study introduces technology called WatchMI, which features software analysing data from a built-in inertial measurement unit (IMU), and argues how utilising various common aspects...

(c)iStock.com/LeoWolfert

Nymi, a security and authentication provider focused on the wearables space, argues in a recently published infographic that the increase in data breaches does not bode well for the enterprise.

According to the infographic, the risk of a company having its systems breached is one in five, with the average cost to a company coming in at $3.5 million.

More than nine in 10 (91%) of breaches involve stolen credentials of some sort – usernames and passwords – perhaps not a huge...

Picture credit: Narrative

The Swedish wearable camera manufacturer Hardware has announced the initiation of a ‘company reorganisation’ in order to restructure its business amid financial difficulties.

The move, under the Business Reorganisation Act in Swedish law, enables companies to ‘restructure [with] a viable business but…facing a risk of temporary financial difficulties’, in the words of a press release.

The company manufactures the Narrative Clip 2, which as the name...

(c)iStock.com/franckreporter

Fitbit, the leading wearable vendor according to recent IDC figures, has announced the acquisition of wearable payment assets from financial technology provider Coin.

The firm has no plan to incorporate the technology into Fitbit’s current product roadmap, however according to a press release it “accelerates [the] ability to develop an active NFC payment solution that could be embedded into future Fitbit devices.”

“We are focused on making wearable devices...

(c)iStock.com/epitavi

With the very real prospect of smartwatches and smart eyewear entering the workplace in the coming years, the potential productivity gains need to be taken with a pinch of salt in terms of protecting corporate data.

That much is self-evident; but Kate Bischoff, attorney at Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP, argues that wearables “require mindful adoption” from employers and that the risks, in a legal context are “real.”

Picture credit: Omate

Updated Wearable technology manufacturer Omate has launched the Omate TrueSmart+, an upgrade on its current arsenal of smartwatches featuring an always-on sensor hub and a micro SIM card holder similar to an iPhone, as well as the TrueSmart-i.

The TrueSmart+ has a 1.54 inch display at a resolution of 320x320, runs on Android Lollipop alongside Omate’s own 3.0 user interface and has strengthened rubber straps integrating Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G and GPS antennas.

“Thanks to our Kickstarter...

(c)iStock.com/pixedeli

Move over Xiaomi, there’s a new kid on the block. According to latest IDC industry figures, Apple had the second highest number of shipments of wearable devices in the second quarter of 2015, narrowly behind Fitbit.

The numbers, taken from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, saw Apple ship a total of 3.6 million units in Q215 representing almost 20% of shipments, while Fitbit shipped 4.4m at 24.3%. Xiaomi, which similarly announced itself in the first quarter,...

(c)iStock.com/alphaspirit

Enterprise use cases for wearable technology appear nascent, yet there is a diverse selection of case studies and opportunities out there.

That’s the view of Tractica in its latest paper on enterprise wearable technology, which features 40 profiles of wearable applications in industry verticals including automotive, field services, and healthcare.

The paper, published in partnership with the Enterprise Wearable Technology Summit event, is essentially a directory of the most...

(c)iStock.com/4774344sean

Research from HP Fortify on Internet of Things (IoT) security has revealed 100% of smartwatches tested contain “significant” vulnerabilities, including authentication, encryption and privacy concerns.

In particular, every smartwatch tested lacked two factor authentication with its mobile interfaces, alongside the ability to lock accounts after up to five failed password attempts. 30% were vulnerable to account harvesting, while 40% of cloud connections tested were...

(c)iStock.com/robertcicchetti

Apple, not surprisingly, has attracted plenty of headlines in recent weeks, whether it’s the rollout of Apple Pay, or the diminishing success of the Apple Watch. Indeed, recent figures revealed sales down 90% since the first week’s launch, while analysts at BMO Capital Markets noted they were “disappointed” with sales of the smartwatch and lowered its...

(c)iStock.com/Mutlu Kurtbas

The launch of the Apple Pay service in the UK earlier this week, where users can pay for services by simply tapping their smartphone or smartwatch, caused the technology media to go into meltdown – a bit like any other Apple-related event.

Reaction was generally optimistic, although there were a few bugbears. After compatibility with Transport for London (TfL) was announced, the local government body warned commuters could be liable for penalty fines for three reasons: if a...

(c)iStock.com/panorios

Let’s face it: we’ve all moaned about our smartphone’s lack of battery. Anyone who has ever gone away on a trip and forgotten their charger knows never to do it again.

For wearables, the equation has turned on its head, and it’s a problem which many companies are trying to solve. Microsoft, in a recent post on its TechNet blog, revealed it was going about it in an innovative way: by...

(c)iStock.com/stevecoleimages

Wearables to assess, advise and improve health and wellbeing has long been one of the key use cases of the technology. Now, here’s a new idea which has come out of Google: a health-tracking wristband which is prescribed to patients or used for clinical trials.

As reported by Bloomberg the device, which is...

Picture credit: Barclays

When ApplePay arrived on the scene – expected to hit the UK in July – offering users the comfort of using their iPhone 6 and Apple Watch to pay in shops and apps, it appeared a straightforward partnership opportunity for banks.

Barclays, however, is going down a different route, and is launching three “wearable” devices that can be used to make payments at 300,000 locations across the UK; a wristband, a fob, and a sticker. The bPay wristband was originally...