Smart watch shipments are expected to reach about 1.2 million units in 2013, according to a report by the ABI research.
According to the report, the developments of new smart watches during the last nine months could change consumers’ perceptions of the wearable computing device.
ABI research senior analyst Joshua Flood aid that the strong potential emergence of smart watches can be attributed to several reasons.
"Contributing factors include the high penetration of smartphones in many world markets, the wide availability and low cost of MEMS sensors, energy efficient connectivity technologies such as Bluetooth 4.0, and a flourishing app ecosystem," Flood added.
"Smart watches that replicate the functionality of a mobile handset or smartphone are not yet commercially feasible, though the technologies are certainly being prepared.
The report revealed that the wearable computing device can be classified into four categories, including notification types, voice operational smart watches, hybrid smart watches, and completely independent smart watches.
According to the report, standalone smart watches with own OS have the potential to be bought as a standalone product reducing the need for a smartphone which will feature higher functionality and connectivity to other consumer devices such as audio speakers.
Smart watches from different companies include Apple’s iWatch, Samsung’s Galaxy Altius and Microsoft’s new touch-enabled watch for its Windows-based smartphones and tablets.
