Wearables for Fitness

Today, we are going to take a close look at the smartwatch. We’ll first look at some quick-fire bullets of where it originated from and its rise in public opinion. We’ll also look at the current features and the benefits of smartwatches for athletes.

Its story is, in many ways, the story of personal electronics and wearable technology in general.

Early Beginnings

Consider the Smartwatch – its ancestor is actually the digital watch from the 1970s. The very first digital watch hit the markets in 1972, by Hamilton Watch Company. Long before when 1982 the Pulsar NL C01 from Seiko appeared, its 24-digit memory was the first watch containing user-programmable memory.

Development Over the Years

From the early 1980s on, with the availability of personal computers, companies such as Seiko started developing computer watches. By 1998, Seiko was offering the Ruputer, which connected to a PC and ran programs, a precursor to the modern smartwatch.

Mainstream Adoption

The mainstream adoption of smartwatches has been influenced by several factors:

  • Health and Fitness - Smartwatches are used to monitor my health and fitness. I have one, and so do many of my friends, family, and colleagues. Most users are like that.
  • Technological Advancements - Improvements in battery life, design, and even apps and wireless technologies have made smartwatches more practical and desirable.
  • Connectivity with Smartphones - Enabling users to receive notifications, calls and messages on the wrist.

Modern Era

The Apple Watch was launched in 2015, establishing what was possible from a smartwatch and establishing the category in the public’s mind. The wearable market is now entering a sustained period of growth. Today, smartwatches made by a variety of manufacturers offer functions such as mobile apps, GPS, and the ability to call phones, further solidifying their place in the mainstream realm of consumer electronics.

This micro-history of the smartwatch from a niche gadget to a common device captures the trends that have taken hold of consumer technology: 

  • Convenience
  • Connectivity
  • Personalisation.

 High-priced fitness bands are equipped with a huge number of features that comply with every health and fitness tracking need. Let's see some of the main features:

 

Key Features and Benefits for Athletes

  • Enhanced Health Monitoring - Many bands have heart-rate monitors and sleep trackers onboard and some measure blood oxygen levels and even track your levels of stress, and offer recommendations about how you’re doing.
  • GPS Tracking - Good for runners and cyclists to track their routes and distance without needing a phone with them.
  • Intended for Swimmers - or just for tracking outdoor workouts no matter the weather – most high-end bands are water-resistant.
  • Long Battery Life - Battery life is now measured in days, not hours, to keep up with active lifestyles.
  • Smartphone Integration - Notifications, music control and other smart features are fully INCLUDED as standard, so you can stay happily connected to your smartphone.
  • Customisable Displays - Customisable, high-resolution screens are a feature of many models, enabling users to create custom displays for their band.

Market Expectations & Projections

Concerning the market estimation, the fitness tracker market size was valued at:

  • USD 47.36 billion in 2022
  • Expected to grow from USD 53.94 billion in 2023 to USD 182.90 billion in 2030
  • A CAGR of 19.1%

What A Smartwatch Means to Athletes

The consensus in the tech world is that there’s still lots of untapped fitness band potential – we’ll likely be seeing smaller, more efficient, longer-lasting sensors and more features squeezed into smaller space; the trick will be to do so without sacrificing user comfort or device usability.

Training Insights and Durability

  • Training Data - Smartwatches can track pace, distance, heart rate, and running power to allow for a sophisticated analysis of training load, recovery, and performance.
  • Health Monitoring - The best models of smartwatches can measure vital signs and even warn an athlete early of illness.
  • Customised Workout - Athletes can use smartwatches to set up custom workouts/intervals and receive real-time feedback to boost the training intensity.
  • Recovery Insights - Some smartwatches suggest which times of day are best for training or should be taken easy, using markers of how tired the athlete is.
  • DURABILITY AND RESISTANCE - Water resistance is important for all triathletes and some swimmers, and many smartwatches are designed to survive harsh training environments.

SUMMARY

Whenever innovations arrived smaller and smaller in the 21st century, they were met with scepticism. However, smartwatches are proving that you don’t need to carry a brick to be able to store plenty of information, make calls, and help you with your health, among many more. We can only wait with anticipation to see where we go from here.