I recently saw (via CBInsights) this graphic of the impact smartphones had on the sales in different consumer electronic categories. Back in Nokia’s heyday, we were well aware of the mobile phone obliterating so many consumer goods categories around time, organization, and communication, such as watches, cameras, calendars and planners, address books, and telephone booths.* And we realized the convergence of so many other things through the phone, such as payments, messaging, and purchasing and ordering, would have ripple effects on transaction brokers, as well.
So this new graphic was not news to me.
Wrist-top wars
But, since I have smartwatches on the mind, the graphic triggered a similar thought about how the smartwatch is making it difficult for manufacturers of things that sit on the wrist, such as fitness bands, health monitors, ID bracelets, jewelry, and analog watches.
Jawbone, a headset, then speaker, company that killed itself in the wrist-top space, is gone. FitBit, a brand universally connected to wrist-top fitness bands, might be next, despite buying and assimilating, Pebble, a smartwatch pioneer. And let’s not list here the numerous other companies making wrist-top devices for activity tacking, elderly tracking, or health measurements.
And the same goes for those who are edging to the smartwatch space, such as the fledgling iBeat. Can they be smartwatch enough to muscle aside Apple, Android Wear, or Nokia?
How do you think this wrist-top was will play out?
Image from Statista
