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IWatch Wearable Tech

Only 8% of shoppers will purchase wearable tech in the next year

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By John McCarthy | Opinion Editor

September 9, 2014 | 3 min read

A miniscule eight per cent of consumers said they would purchase any sort of wearable tech in the next 12 months, according to a report by international law firm Osborne Clarke and app developer Mubaloo.

The Sony smartwatch

The report, administrated by YouGov on behalf of the firms, found that only eight per cent of respondents were likely to buy a smartwatch or technology like Google Glass in the next year.

This lack of consumer interest will come as a blow for electronic firms which are heralding the technology as the next big thing.

James Mullock of Osborne Clarke, a law firm specialising in data protection, cyber law issues, and technology, said: “Smartphone accessories like the Fitbit and FuelBand have paved the way for wearable tech, but this research shows the market penetration is still not out of the first quartile.

“People may be getting excited about an iWatch and products like Sony's new SmartWatch 3, but most of them won’t open their wallet and actually buy one. The next 12 months will be crucial for the wearable tech industry to show people how these products can be an important part of their lives.”

Dr. Mark Mason, founder and CEO of Mubaloo, said: “With smartphones, it wasn’t until developers started created apps that made the devices desirable that the market truly took off. Wearables need to be desirable, but also need to have compelling reasons to buy them.

“The number of apps on wearables is growing, and devices like the Moto 360 have the desirability factor but consumers still need to be persuaded to buy them.”

This comes just before Apple unveils its much-anticipated iWatch at an event in California alongside the new iPhone 6.

IWatch Wearable Tech

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