Even with Apple’s relatively successful entry in the market, smartwatches are still perceived as a niche segment. But if you’re a developer, the evidence is mounting that there might eventually be a business case for building apps to run on smartwatches alongside your existing mobile apps.
Picture: Getty Images/Stephen Lam
Research by Roy Morgan suggests that 520,000 adult Australians intend to purchase a smartwatch this year. While that’s not a particularly high number, it’s at a similar level to the number of people who said they planned to buy an iPhone in the first 12 months following its release.:
The number of smartwatch ‘early intenders’ today is close to the iPhone equivalent seven years ago, and the age profile is also markedly similar: around 43% of iPhone intenders in July to October 2008 were aged 14 to 24, and another 28% were 25 to 34; among today’s smartwatch intenders, 38% are 14-24 and 30% are 25-34. Clearly, younger people drove initial uptake of smartphones — and may perhaps do the same for smartwatches.
With recent improvements to Watch OS and Android Wear, smartwatch apps might actually make sense.
Comments
One response to “Why It Might Be Worth Developing Smartwatch Apps”
Well, that’s because they ARE a niche market.