and the most noteworthy set of data is that the data released by IDC, a well-known research institution, shows that the global shipment of smart phones decreased by 2.3% year-on-year, while the global shipment of watch-type wearable devices increased by 22.7%. The shipment of adult watch-type wearable devices in China exceeded 1 million units in 219, up by 58.2% year-on-year, the highest growth rate in three years.
Today, everyone has a smart phone. Why do more and more people choose to wear smart watches?
Quantify yourself with smart watches
For this generation of netizens, smart watches are more than just watches. In foreign countries, it has become a common practice to use wearable devices such as smart watches to track and quantify themselves. In "Slam Dunk", Hanamichi Sakuragi was very mad after watching his shooting posture in the video, because it was too far from the standard action he imagined, so he deliberately corrected himself the next day; In the movie Breaking the Wind, Eddie Peng Yuyan and Shawn Dou play cyclists, who monitor their heart rate in real time, and immediately slow down the cycling pace when the heart rate is too high to ensure their own safety.
Now, the trend of using smart watches and bracelets to quantify yourself has spread. As long as you search for "heart rate" or "sleep" in the circle of friends, you will find that many friends have begun to monitor and quantify their health status with smart devices. "I use smart watches now mainly for sports management and health monitoring." Xiao Ting, a young white-collar worker who works in Shenzhen Nanshan Science and Technology Park, said that he has been wearing a watch since he went to school. At the beginning of this year, she just graduated and spent more than 2, yuan to buy a smart watch. Although she hesitated at first, the health monitoring function still gave her an unexpected surprise.
The reason may lie in the accelerated pace of modern life. Ten years ago, everyone went to work from nine to five, with fixed working hours, and life and work were clearly separated. It may not be necessary to pay too much attention to physical monitoring, but now, a phone call, an email and a WeChat message may be jobs that must be dealt with immediately. Life and work are inseparable, in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
IDC pointed out in the relevant market research report that the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic has made more consumers more concerned about health and immunity. No matter the cultivation of daily exercise habits or the concern for one's own physical indicators, more potential consumption demand will be released. From the manufacturer's point of view, health wearable products are the blue ocean market in the next stage of competition. In September this year, IDC predicted that the annual growth rate of global watch wearable device shipments will be 14.3% from 22 to 224. It seems that the above trend will continue for a long time.
don't be enemies with mobile phones
In fact, smart watches have stepped on the pit. In the early days of the advent of smart watches, some hardware manufacturers regarded smart watches as "small" smart phones, and they all had the functions of making phone calls, sending WeChat, setting alarm clocks, listening to music, voice assistants, etc. In order to take into account the characteristics of watches, hardware manufacturers also introduced personalized dials and straps.
Although the function is complete, the smart watch did not solve a core problem at the beginning, that is, the difference between it and the mobile phone is either a "toy" or an enemy of the mobile phone.
until 219, the product of Apple Watch was affirmed by users. The financial report shows that in 219, Apple's total revenue from wearable devices, household equipment and accessories was US$ 27.184 billion. Apple did not separately announce the revenue and sales data of Apple Watch, but from the data of third-party statistical agencies, the sales of Apple Watch are still very amazing. According to the research report of Strategy Analytics, the total global shipments of Apple Watch reached 3.7 million pieces in 219, even exceeding the total shipments of Swiss watch companies.
the sharp increase in sales of Apple Watch is largely related to its accurate positioning. although previous generations of Apple Watch products have a close relationship with mobile phones, with the development of the industry, the relationship between apple watch and mobile phones has gradually drifted away.
at the WWDC conference held on June 4, 219, Apple ushered in a revolutionary change. Apple released an independent system iPad OS specifically for the iPad, and at the same time, Apple also brought a brand-new Watch OS 6 to Apple Watch. This system supports an independent App Store, so that users can independently install and manage applications on Apple Watch without relying on the iPhone.
independent eSIM card and separate OS system make smart watches no longer a "toy", and smart watches have more possibilities for development, instead of replacing mobile phones. When the hostile relationship disappears, the road of smart watches is widened.
Of course, Apple was not the first manufacturer to make smart watches, but after Apple launched the Apple Watch, the market acceptance of smart watches was greatly improved. Moreover, at Apple's high price, it gives other hardware manufacturers an opportunity to survive. Other hardware manufacturers can also introduce technologies similar to Apple Watch, such as blood oxygen monitoring, electrocardiogram monitoring, sports data recording, etc. These technologies are not unique to Apple. At present, for users who want to buy smart watches and are too expensive, smart watches from manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi are a very good choice. Stimulated by the price factor, Huawei and Xiaomi can actually surpass Apple Watch in sales.