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Wearable Technology Forecasts 2019-2029

A comprehensive overview of markets across all wearable electronic devices, from smartwatches to skin patches, AR, VR & MR to hearables, smart clothing to smart eyewear, and more.


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This report is the culmination of IDTechEx's research in wearable technology over more than five years. Throughout this time, wearable technology has experienced a turbulent journey, with a meteoric rise in hype, accompanied by billions of dollars of funding, tens of thousands of new patents filed, hundreds of new companies, thousands of products, and tens of billions of dollars of new revenue generated. IDTechEx analysts have followed the industry throughout this period, documenting it's progress by collecting data, interviewing hundreds of companies, attending events around the world, and contributing to the ecosystem throughout. This report summarises IDTechEx's findings over this time, along with the latest conclusions and outlook. It provides detailed overviews of each product type across the broad and varied wearable technology product ecosystem, complete with historic revenue and sales volume data back to 2010 and forecasts from 2019 - 2029.
 
The conclusions from the report find that wearable technology products are thriving, with a total market worth over $50bn in 2019, having more than doubled in size since just 2014. This historic growth is driven by product types including smartwatches, continuous glucose monitoring devices (CGM), hearing aids, headphones and AR, VR & MR. The report looks at each of these sectors in detail, providing assessments and market data across all of the key players, technology and in the current themes for each product area. In addition, there have been many new types of wearable technology product in this time, ranging from new types of electronic skin patch, to smart apparel based on electronic textiles, to other new form factors for devices from footwear, to rings, to headbands. In assessing 48 separate product types, the IDTechEx report is unique in it's breadth of coverage across all wearable electronic products.
 
 
The report contains details of 48 forecast lines across five key sectors, as shown. The objective behind this report was to provide as much data about the sales volumes and revenues for wearable products, and thus includes historic data back to 2010 and forecasts from 2019-2029.
Image source: IDTechEx
 
However, this growth comes despite many challenges across the product spectrum. At the top level, it is clear that "wearables" as a term is now well past it's period of hype that peaked in 2014-15. Many of the companies that had key products and messages during this time have disappeared or changed strategy over time. The success in smartwatches has not come from many of the early standard-bearers, but more prominently from Apple, followed by other consumer electronics players and sports electronics companies. In VR, AR and MR, some of the flagship products and companies have also failed, and despite significant growth in the industry (both in terms of percentage and in billions of dollars of new product revenue), the overall space is still far from breaking even on the huge investments that have poured in over the last decade.
 
The report addresses the broad nature that comes with the term "wearables" by addressing each sub-sector within this space in a dedicated chapter. These chapters, in their own right, have been developed as individual, complete research reports covering each of these sectors in the space. Using this huge body of work, "Wearable Technology Forecasts 2019-2029" summarises the latest and critical information about these sectors into individual chapters, complete with commentaries on industry trends (e.g. with funding, IP, and company activities), profiles of key players and full forecast data for each of the 48 product types identified.
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Table of Contents
1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1.1.Executive introduction
1.2.Shifting hype in wearables as markets evolve
1.3.Key metrics for wearables: Search terms
1.4.Key metrics for wearables: Funding trends
1.5.Key metrics for wearables: Patent trends
1.6.Historic market data by sector
1.7.Revenue forecast by sector, 2019 - 2029
1.8.Revenue from smartwatches and activity trackers
1.9.Sales volumes from smartwatches and activity trackers
1.10.Market outlook for virtual reality
1.11.Market outlook for augmented and mixed reality
1.12.Market outlook for hearables
1.13.Market outlook for hearables containing biosensors
1.14.Market outlook for smart clothing (& e-textiles)
1.15.Market outlook for electronic skin patches: Applications
1.16.Market outlook for electronic skin patches: Key growth in diabetes management
1.17.Market outlook for electronic skin patches: Cardiovascular monitoring
1.18.Key report conclusions
1.19.References and further reading
2.WEARABLES: AN OVERVIEW
2.1.Introduction to wearables
2.2.Definitions
2.3.Consideration by market vertical
2.4.Shifting hype in wearables as markets evolve
2.5.Key metrics for wearables: Search terms
2.6.Key metrics for wearables: Funding trends
2.7.Key metrics for wearables: Patent trends
2.8.Top 30 companies by number of active and pending patents in 2019
2.9.Top 30 companies by number patents filed in 2018
2.10.Historic market data by sector
2.11.Total market size and outlook
2.12.Comments on industry trends
2.13.Trends are a unifying factor in a diverse industry
2.14.Megatrends
2.15.Innovation trends
2.16.Making electronics flexible: examples
2.17.The evolving user interface: examples
2.18.Increasing battery life: examples
3.SMARTWATCHES AND FITNESS TRACKERS
3.1.Smartwatches and fitness trackers
3.2.Three main categories within the product landscape
3.3.Smartwatch vs fitness tracker
3.4.Overview: Revenue by product type
3.5.Overview: Sales volumes by product type
3.6.Smartwatches
3.7.Players gravitate towards smartwatches
3.8.Smartwatches: Revenue by player
3.9.Example: Apple
3.10.Example: Fitbit
3.11.Example: Fitbit
3.12.Sports watches
3.13.Sports watches: Revenue by player
3.14.Fitness trackers
3.15.On the wrist and beyond
3.16.Example: Jawbone
3.17.Example: Nike
3.18.Example: Xiaomi
3.19.The future of fitness trackers
4.SMART EYEWEAR, INCLUDING VR, AR & MR
4.1.Introduction: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality
4.2.Definitions and product categories
4.3.Terminology: Search trends
4.4.Glossary
4.5.Nomenclature: VR, AR, MR, XR
4.6.Split in this report
4.7.Related areas to VR: FPV, video glasses
4.8.Related areas to AR & MR: hearing glasses, camera glasses, thermal imaging
4.9.Product ecosystem beyond the hardware
4.10.Most prominent patentholders
4.11.VC funding for AR & VR
4.12.Huge private investment in parallel
4.13.Applications in VR, AR & MR
4.14.How much money is needed?
4.15.VR: Discussion and forecasts
4.16.The future of VR
4.17.VR: Historic device sales
4.18.Data on PC VR headset usage for gaming
4.19.VR: Volume forecasts
4.20.VR: Revenue forecasts
4.21.Cyclic nature of hardware sales
4.22.Prominent technical challenges to be addressed
4.23.VR: Summary and outlook
4.24.VR: Full data and forecast (Volume, 2010 - 2030)
4.25.VR: Full data and forecast (Revenue, 2010 - 2030)
4.26.AR & MR: Discussion and forecasts
4.27.The future of AR & MR
4.28.AR & MR: Discussions and forecast
4.29.AR & MR: Historic device sales
4.30.Outlook by device type
4.31.AR & MR: Volume forecasts
4.32.AR & MR: Revenue forecasts
4.33.AR & MR: Assessment and assumptions
4.34.AR & MR: Summary and outlook
4.35.AR & MR: Full data and forecast (Volume, 2010 - 2030)
5.HEARABLES
5.1.Chapter contents
5.2.Hearables: Introduction
5.3.The main technology themes within hearables
5.4.Players: Summary
5.5.Players: Details
5.6.Players: Hearing assistance
5.7.Players: Biometrics
5.8.Hearing assistance devices
5.9.The prevalence of hearing loss
5.10.Competition throughout the spectrum of hearing loss
5.11.Severe and profound hearing loss patients
5.12.Moderate to severe hearing loss patients
5.13.Mild to moderate hearing loss patients
5.14.Mild and pre-hearing loss patients
5.15.Summary: Opportunities to address in each sector
5.16.A timeline towards OTC hearing aids
5.17.The potential impact of OTC hearing aids
5.18.Planning for the introduction of OTC hearing aids
5.19.Hearables: Historic market data
5.20.Hearables: Market forecast, 2019 - 2029
5.21.Full forecast: Hearables products
5.22.Sensors on the ear
5.23.From the wrist to the ear: ¶Placement of wearable sensors
5.24.Early product examples: Headphones
5.25.Early product examples: Hearing aids
5.26.First market tests for HRM in sports headphones
5.27.Towards more advanced sensing options
5.28.Summary of sensing options in the ear
5.29.Timeline for commercialisation
5.30.How quickly will biometric sensors be introduced?
5.31.Revenue from ear-worn products containing biosensors
5.32.The proportion of ear worn products adding biometrics
5.33.Outlook and conclusions
6.SMART CLOTHING & E-TEXTILES
6.1.Chapter contents
6.2.Introduction - Smart clothing & e-textiles
6.3.Timeline: Historic context for e-textiles
6.4.Timeline: Commercial beginnings and early growth
6.5.Timeline: A boom in interest, funding and activity
6.6.Timeline: Challenges emerge from the optimism
6.7.Addressing these industry challenges
6.8.Timeline: Present day and outlook
6.9.E-textiles products and markets
6.10.Types of revenue
6.11.Forecast methodology within this area
6.12.E-textile product types
6.13.4 key product types, and their different target markets
6.14.Summary: Revenue from e-textiles products, by type
6.15.Summary: Revenue in e-textiles, by market sector
6.16.Discussion by market sector
6.17.Medical and healthcare
6.18.Patient monitoring using e-textiles
6.19.Biometric monitoring in apparel
6.20.Side-effect management for diabetes
6.21.Urinary incontinence
6.22.Measuring gait
6.23.Wound care and compression therapies
6.24.Case study: Biometric monitoring in apparel
6.25.Related products: HRM Chest Straps
6.26.Integrating HRM into clothing
6.27.Sensors used in smart clothing for biometrics
6.28.Other common components found in similar products
6.29.Companies with biometric monitoring apparel products
6.30.Sports and fitness
6.31.Sports & Fitness: Overview
6.32.Sports & Fitness: Key product characteristics
6.33.Sports & Fitness: The impact of VC funding
6.34.Efforts from the largest apparel brands
6.35.Efforts in biometric apparel from dedicated brands
6.36.Military and Space
6.37.Smart Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
6.38.Safety lighting using e-textiles
6.39.E-textiles in firefighting apparel
6.40.Fashion
6.41.Bespoke e-textile projects in high fashion
6.42.Premium high street apparel with e-textiles
6.43.Mass market fashion with e-textiles: Lighting
6.44.Overview: Heated clothing
6.45.Other types of smart clothing
6.46.Motion capture
6.47.Haptic suits using e-textiles
6.48.Assistive clothing
6.49.Examples of other assistive exoskeletons and clothing
6.50.Historic data and market forecasts
6.51.Market data and forecast methodology
6.52.E-textiles historic revenue data, 2019 - 2029
6.53.E-textiles sales revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
6.54.E-textiles historic product volume data, 2019 - 2029
6.55.E-textiles product volume forecast, 2019 - 2029
7.ELECTRONIC SKIN PATCHES
7.1.Chapter contents
7.2.Introduction: Electronic skin patches
7.3.Application overview
7.4.Skin patches competing with established products
7.5.New market creation around skin patches
7.6.Applications, market sizes and outlook
7.7.List of players from case studies
7.8.Skin patches for diabetes management
7.9.The diabetes management process
7.10.Diabetes management device roadmap: Sensors
7.11.Skin patches for diabetes management
7.12.The case for CGM
7.13.CGM: Overview of key players
7.14.Diabetes management device roadmap: Insulin delivery
7.15.Insulin pumps: Introduction
7.16.Insulin pump breakdown
7.17.Insulin patch pumps
7.18.Outlook for insulin pumps
7.19.Linking insulin pumps and CGM: Towards an artificial pancreas
7.20.Today: Hybrid closed loop systems
7.21.The objective: Closing the feedback loop
7.22.Market data: Historic & forecasts
7.23.A shifting focus in diabetes management - Historic data: 2010-2018
7.24.Test strip business in decline
7.25.The growth of CGM accelerates
7.26.Diabetes management: full historic data and forecast
7.27.Cardiovascular monitoring via skin patches
7.28.Progress towards ambulatory cardiac monitoring
7.29.Differentiation between ambulatory cardiac monitors
7.30.Wearable vs implantable monitoring
7.31.Reimbursement codes for wearable cardiac monitors
7.32.Reimbursement codes for implantable cardiac monitors
7.33.Example: Medtronic (SEEQ & LINQ)
7.34.Wearable, ambulatory cardiac monitoring: Comparison of over 35 players
7.35.Other form factors for ambulatory cardiac monitoring
7.36.Comparison: Chest straps
7.37.Comparison: Apparel
7.38.Comparison: Portable devices
7.39.Comparison: Smartwatch optical HRM
7.40.Cardiac monitoring skin patches: Historic data: 2010 - 2018
7.41.Cardiac monitoring skin patches: Market forecasts
7.42.Key conclusions: cardiac monitoring skin patches
7.43.Other types of medical electronic skin patches
7.44.Skin patches for temperature sensing
7.45.Temperature sensing via skin patches
7.46.Skin patches for sweat sensing
7.47.Sweat sensing via skin patches
7.48.Introduction - Sweat sensing
7.49.Technology overview - humidity sensors for sweat
7.50.Technology overview - chemical sensing in sweat
7.51.Sweat vs other sources of analytes
7.52.Analytes in sweat
7.53.Technology overview: Chemical sensing
7.54.Skin patches for iontophoresis
7.55.Background to iontophoresis
7.56.Iontophoresis for cosmetic delivery
7.57.Iontophoresis for drug delivery
7.58.Reverse Iontophoresis
7.59.Key conclusions: Iontophoresis
7.60.Skin patches for motion
7.61.Introduction - Monitoring motion via skin patches
7.62.Different modes for sensing motion
7.63.Applications for skin patch motion sensors
7.64.Key conclusions: Motion sensing
7.65.Key conclusions: Sweat sensing
7.66.Other medical skin patches
7.67.Inpatient monitoring: The case for removing the wires
7.68.Acoustic respiration rate
7.69.Wearable ultrasound
7.70.Skin patches as a communication hub: Smart pills
7.71.Skin patches as a communication hub: Smart vascular grafts
7.72.UV protection
7.73.Historic data and market forecasts
7.74.Forecast details and assumptions
7.75.Historic data: All electronic skin patches 2010-2018
7.76.Market forecast: All electronic skin patches 2019-2029
7.77.Historic data: Cardiovascular monitoring skin patches 2010-2018
7.78.Market forecast: Cardiovascular monitoring skin patches 2019-2029
7.79.Historic data: Skin patches for diabetes management 2010-2018
7.80.Market forecast: Skin patches for diabetes management 2019-2029
7.81.Historic data: Skin patches for patient monitoring 2010-2018
7.82.Market forecast: Skin patches for patient monitoring 2019-2029
7.83.Historic data: Temperature monitoring skin patches 2010-2018
7.84.Market forecast: Temperature monitoring skin patches 2019-2029
7.85.Historic data: Skin patches for iontophoresis 2010-2018
7.86.Market forecast: Skin patches for iontophoresis 2019-2029
7.87.Historic data: Other types of electronic skin patch 2010-2018
7.88.Market forecast: Other types of electronic skin patch 2019-2029
8.WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY FORECASTS
8.1.Forecast methodology and assumptions
8.2.Combined revenue and volume: Historic data 2010-2018 & forecast 2019-2029
8.3.Historic revenue data by sector
8.4.Revenue forecast by sector, 2019 - 2029
8.5.Summary of forecasts by sector
8.6.Smartwatches and fitness trackers: ¶Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.7.Smartwatches and fitness trackers: Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.8.Other consumer wearables: Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.9.Other consumer wearables: Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.10.Smart clothing (e-textile apparel): Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.11.Smart clothing (e-textile apparel): Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.12.Virtual, augmented and mixed reality (VR, AR, MR): Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.13.Virtual, augmented and mixed reality (VR, AR, MR): Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.14.Skin patches (cardiac and diabetes): Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.15.Skin patches (cardiac and diabetes): Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.16.Skin patches (others): Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.17.Skin patches (others): Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.18.Hearables (headphones, hearing aids, etc.): Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.19.Hearables (headphones, hearing aids, etc.): Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.20.Other medical wearables: Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.21.Other medical wearables: Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.22.Other wearable devices: Historic data, 2010 - 2018
8.23.Other wearable devices: Revenue forecast, 2019 - 2029
8.24.Smartwatches and fitness trackers: Historic data 2010-2018
8.25.Smartwatches and fitness trackers: Revenue forecast 2019-2029
 

Report Statistics

Slides 320
Forecasts to 2029
 
 
 
 

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