BUS206: Management Information Systems

The average smartphone user looks at his or her smartphone 150 times a day for functions such as messaging (23 times), phone calls (22), listening to music (13), and social media (9).Many of these functions would be much better served if the technology was worn on, or even physically integrated into, our bodies. This technology is known as a "wearable".

Wearables have been around for a long time, with technologies such as hearing aids and, later, bluetooth earpieces. Now the product lines have expanded to include the Smartwatch, body cameras, sports watch, and various fitness monitors. The following table from the Gartner Group reports both historical and predicted sales.

Wearable Devices Worldwide (millions of units)

Wearable Devices Actual and Forecast (Source: Gartner Group, August 2017)

Notice the strong growth predicted by 2021. Total wearable devices are projected to increase by about 45% from 2018 to 2021.