In one corner, Pebble, Android Wear, Fitbit and Jawbone. In the other, Apple Watch.
The new smartwatch, which goes on sale in April, is expected to be the most popular wearable product to date.
“Right now, the wearable industry isn’t a full industry yet,” says James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research. “Apple is about to give it a level of legitimacy that no one has done yet. This is a very big opportunity.”
The Apple Watch works in conjunction with the iPhone and brings much of the phone’s functionality to the wrist — including news alerts, incoming texts and e-mails, mapping directions and health information.
McQuivey says Fitbit, the wearable fitness and sleep trackers that start at $59.95, has been the best-seller in the category, selling millions of units.
“I like that it tracks my sleep,” says Jamie Allen, a student from Virginia. “I do wish it had the time on it though.”
Next up are smartwatches from Pebble, the first company to bring smartphone tech to the wrist.
The company has sold more than 1 million of the original watches and this week launched its follow-up, the Pebble Time, which touts longer battery life of seven days. The company turned to Kickstarter, where it raised $14 million and became the most funded Kickstarter project ever.
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/03/05/apple-watch-expected-to-be-most-popular-wearable/24444597/
SOURCE: USA Today, Jefferson Graham
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