Since the release of the original iPhone, the mobile market has never quite been the same. The past few years have seen the rise of me-too iPhone lookalikes in addition to the rise of legitimate competitors such as the likes of Samsung, HTC, and Nokia. Lawsuits (most notably between Apple and Samsung) have punctuated this fiercely fought battle for smartphone supremacy. And yet today a new battle is being fought on the field of mobile devices. The latest trend, wearable mobile devices, has taken root in the mainstream discussion on how to dominate the mobile market.
The idea and even implementation of wearable mobile devices is hardly new. Sony released a smart watch in 2012 and the Kick Starter-driven Pebble smart watch which was introduced in early 2013. Samsung’s release of the Galaxy Gear ushers in a new era of competitive wearable devices. Google’s Google Glass system, a wearable display closely resembling the frames of glasses, has drawn similar intrigue from mainstream audiences. It is also rumored that Apple is working on a device to compete with Samsung’s and Microsoft is doing the same in an effort to compete with Google. Moreover, Intel, which has struggled to incorporate its technologies inside mobile devices, has announced a greater emphasis on its Atom chipset so as to more effectively power wearable devices.
The real question at hand is whether or not these wearable devices have any sticking power. Unlike the wave of smartphones and tablets that came before, these new wearable devices are largely dependent on the existing mobile ecosystem. The Samsung Galaxy Gear notably only works with the recently released Galaxy Note 3. These sorts of restrictions will undoubtedly limit the pool of people that these devices can appeal to. At this point, these new wearable devices must necessarily be viewed as an extension of the original mobile revolution rather than a revolution onto itself.
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