如何撬動800億美元的可穿戴設備市場

Several factors have dogged the nascent wearable technology market. The lack of breakthrough innovation around batteries, for one, requiring wearers to plug in on-the-go gadgets more than they’d like. The lack of sophistication around tiny user interfaces is another, though that will no doubt improve over time.

有幾個因素一直困擾着依然處於襁褓期的可穿戴技術市場。比如，電池領域缺乏創新，導致用戶只能隨身帶着充電寶之類的設備。此外，可穿戴設備的界面過於簡單，儘管隨着時間的推移，這方面無疑將獲得改善。

But a big one? The social factor. Beyond the geeks of Silicon Valley and elsewhere, it’s just not cool to wear a watch, glasses, or headset that’s as big as a hood ornament.

還有一個大問題，即社交因素。除了硅谷等地的少數極客以外，很少有人覺得戴着一個像汽車徽標那麼大的手錶、眼鏡或耳機之類的設備，是件很酷的事。

That’s going to change, according to Juniper Research. The British market observer believes that the wearable technology market will grow to $80 billion by 2020—and the key will be making the connected gadgets virtually indistinguishable from their disconnected peers.

英國市場觀察機構瞻博研究公司聲稱，這種情況可能會發生變化。該公司認爲，到2020年，可穿戴市場的價值將增長至800億美元。關鍵在於如何讓可穿戴設備和諧地融入人們的穿着，看起來不那麼“顯眼”。

That means that Apple must be on to something as it continues to make atypical hires from the fashion and apparel world. Observers, includingFortune‘s own Philip Elmer-Dewitt, believe the new talent will help smooth the rough edges of a technology that’s as personal as a bracelet, watch, or ring. (So, apparently, does Google.) The best wearables, and the ones best positioned for profitability, may be those that allow their technology to completely recede into the background.

由此可以發現，蘋果公司不斷從時尚和服飾領域挖人的反常舉動，必定是有所圖的。包括《財富》記者菲利普o艾爾默o德懷特在內的許多觀察人士都認爲，新招募的時尚界人才將把智能手鐲、手錶、手環之類的私人物件打磨得更加精緻（谷歌公司顯然也在這樣做）。最好且最有可能獲利的可穿戴產品，可能就是那些能使它的技術完全融入到背景中的產品。

Nevertheless, wearables will be a diverse growth market that’s not merely Internet-connected jewelry. Wearables that attach to the skin, such as MC10’s Biostamp, are also part of this category—though they’re in a “more embryonic state” and require a much larger shift in consumer habits than a smart watch, Juniper says.

然而，可穿戴產品畢竟是一個多樣化的增長市場，它的意義不僅是一件能上網的飾物。那種能夠依附在皮膚上的產品，比如MC10公司開發的“生物印章”，也可歸入這一類別，不過這種技術還處於“萌芽初期的狀態”，和智能手錶相比，它需要消費習慣的更大轉變。

Many technology companies—including Apple, ARM, Google, Intel, Lenovo-Motorola, LG, MC10, Microsoft, Omate, Qualcomm, Sony, and Withings, plus wearables-savvy design firms like Gadi Amit’s NewDealDesign and Yves Béhar’sFuseproject—are well-positioned to benefit from the boom. With the right features, consumers are, too.

許多科技公司都準備從可穿戴潮流中獲益，包括蘋果、ARM、谷歌、英特爾、聯想—摩托羅拉、LG、MC10、微軟、Omate、高通、索尼、Withings，以及一些知名的可穿戴設備設計公司，比如加迪o阿米特的NewDealDesign和維斯o貝哈的Fuseproject公司。只要有了恰當的功能，消費者也會從中受益。