IoT Wearables: The Next Generation of Smartwatches
Smartwatches have come a long way since the first digital watch debuted in 1972. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), wearables like smartwatches are getting smarter and more connected. Here’s an in-depth look at how IoT technology is transforming smartwatches into powerful mini-computers we can wear on our wrists.
More Sensors for Enhanced Health Tracking
One of the key improvements in the next generation of smartwatches is the inclusion of more advanced sensors for tracking health and fitness data. Early smartwatches like the Apple Watch used an accelerometer and heart rate sensor. New smartwatches add sensors like ECG, blood oxygen saturation, sleep tracking, and skin temperature. With this wealth of biometric data, smartwatches can provide deeper insights into your health and activity levels.
For example, the Apple Watch Series 6 introduced an ECG app and a new Blood Oxygen app to provide users with more comprehensive heart health monitoring. These advanced sensors turn the smartwatch into a powerful medical device on your wrist. Expect to see future smartwatches incorporate sophisticated sensors like glucose monitoring, blood pressure tracking, and fall detection. The end goal is ambitious – making the smartwatch a 24/7 health companion for consumers.
Expanded App Ecosystems
As smartwatches become more capable computers, app ecosystems are expanding significantly. The Apple Watch and Wear OS watches already support downloadable apps and watch faces. But as hardware improves, developers are creating more feature-packed apps tailored to the smartwatch form factor.
Expect to see popular smartphone apps like social media, news, and messaging finding their way onto smartwatches. More apps will also cater to on-the-go usage – like maps, transit, payments, tickets, and productivity. Voice assistants are also getting smarter with support for offline voice commands using tiny machine learning models that run locally on the watch.
In the future, we could even see smartwatches supporting standalone apps that don’t require a paired smartphone – transforming them into truly independent devices.
Longer Battery Life
The Achilles’ heel of smartwatches is short battery life, usually capped at 18 hours even with light usage. Newer smartwatches are adopting lower power displays like AMOLED, as well as more efficient chipsets to extend battery life. For example, the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform touts 1.5x improved performance and battery life versus earlier smartwatch processors.
But the bigger leap will come with new battery technologies currently in R&D, such as graphene batteries. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro introduced a titanium case that allows for a larger battery – delivering up to 80 hours of battery life. If smartwatches can reliably achieve multi-day battery life from breakthroughs in battery tech, it removes a major pain point for consumers.
More Durable and Rugged Designs
As smartwatches pack in more sensors and battery capacity, watch cases are getting slightly larger and heavier. But for smartwatches to serve fitness users and stand up to daily wear and tear, durability is paramount. New case materials like titanium, ceramic and sapphire crystal offer improved scratch resistance and protection.
Smartwatch makers are also adding water resistance up to 50 meters, and some models now carry 5ATM or military-grade certifications. For outdoor users, smartwatches are getting MIL-STD-810 ratings for shock resistance. Taken together, these design and material improvements will help smartwatches better cope with active lifestyles – especially rugged models geared towards sports and fitness usage.
More Stylish and Customizable Designs
Even as smartwatches get more durable, consumers still want style and personalization. New models offer more premium materials like stainless steel, leather, and metal mesh bands. Watch faces are getting smarter too – beyond just displaying the time, new customizable watch faces can include widgets for quick information, customizable complications, and photo face options.
Brands are also targeting niche segments that value style – like fashion smartwatches from companies like Fossil. For consumers who want a watch that fits their personal tastes, expect more variety in smartwatch designs, bands, and personalization features.
Enhanced Connectivity with 5G and Wi-Fi 6
As the latest generation of smartwatches adopt 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, data transfer speeds get a major boost. This has two key benefits: faster and more reliable connections with paired smartphones, and the ability to provide standalone internet connectivity to the watch itself.
5G enables near real-time communication with tiny latencies. This allows smartwatches to take advantage of cloud computing for AI-assisted health insights and new voice-first experiences. Faster Wi-Fi improves large data transfers like streaming music and syncing offline playlists. Taken together, enhanced wireless connectivity unlocks the full potential of smartwatches as independent IoT devices.
In Summary
Major leaps in health sensors, battery tech, connectivity, processors, and apps will elevate smartwatches into powerful mini-computers for your wrist. With continuous health monitoring, rugged designs, and smartphone independence, the next generation of smartwatches promises to be smarter and more capable than ever. The future looks bright for transforming these IoT wearables into indispensable digital companions.
