Internet companies are beginning to enter the wearable hardware market

Reporter sliding Mingfei Shanghai reported

More and more Internet companies are beginning to enter the wearable hardware market.

July 23, Xiaomi released the first smart bracelet, officially cut into the increasingly popular wearable device market. Before, Qihoo 360 launched a smart bracelet for children, the main child safety distance positioning function; Alibaba also heard the news of wearable devices. Even the best dating website dating is also about to launch its first generation of smart bracelet, positioning, voice transmission as the core function.

Before, Qihoo 360 launched a smart bracelet for children, the main child safety distance positioning function; Alibaba also heard the news of wearable devices. More and more Internet companies are beginning to enter the wearable hardware market, and even the best dating sites are also about to launch its first generation of smart bracelets, with positioning and voice transmission as the core functions.

But for now, the wearables market is still dominated by startups. When the concept of health-oriented cloud technology, positioning the independent smart watch shell electronics will be released in September new products.

From the domestic market wearable device point of view, roughly divided into three categories, watches, bracelets and rings and other trinkets, functions and more focused on positioning, communication reminders, ID certification, health management and sleep monitoring. Xu Peng, head of shell electronics intelligent wear department, said in an interview with 21st Century Business Herald. Although there are many styles of wearable devices on the market, it lacks a killer application or function to activate users on a large scale.

Single function, weak user demand, difficult to form the scale of the wearable device market is one of the biggest dilemma. Many wearables brands interviewed by 21st Century Business Herald reported that if the iWatch of Apple and the wearable of Microsoft are introduced in the second half of the year, it is possible for the domestic market to bang.

With the industry lagging behind, there are so many companies joining the wearable army. The strategy behind the move is to seize the next traffic entrance, which is known in the industry as the "fourth screen" after television, PC and mobile phones. However, wearable devices are different from mobile phones. The lack of a strong demand-like communication function solves the user's "pain point." Therefore, users become the first "hurdle" of wearable devices.

However, the advent of Internet companies allows business models for wearables to explore more than just hardware. Back-end build platform, other ways to make the cash flow more in line with Internet thinking. However, this will also be the second "hurdle" for wearable device players following users.

Entrance positioning problems

Shell Electronics last year released the first generation of smart watches, will be released in September this year, the second generation of products. Xu Peng said the second generation of products to solve a major problem is the backlight, the first generation of products similar to mobile phones, watch the need to press the button to display the number, while the second generation of watches will have no backlight can always display the number .

He said the user's first demand for watches is to see the time, and then the other functions. In the current three types of wearable device form, the watch is considered the most intelligent product. However, from the user's needs, there are still many problems. Jia-Yuan Zhang, executive vice president for example, when flying, if the smart watch built-in SIM card, you must shut down, then how to look at the time? More importantly, the watch as a symbol of identity and taste, the requirements of the watch is high, the smart watch can not sacrifice this principle on the basis of "smart" to attract users is the brand must be considered.

According to Xu Peng introduced, Nutcracker currently carrying Android system, built-in sensor, you can download a variety of applications, the watch has set the desktop shell market. The overall shape and cell phone similar basic, in order to achieve some simple positioning, health management, pedometer, social networking and other functions.

The form and function of smart watches on the market are more or less identical, but the continuation of smart phone model, through the "operating system + application" architecture, has great limitations in user experience. All the features are concentrated on a small screen, whether it is input or visual experience will be affected. Xu Peng also admits that smart watches may only be suitable for the application of tools, and applications such as social networking and e-commerce applications will be relatively poor in experience.

Based on the small-screen issue, Zhang Ya-hong said that if the projection can be made anytime, anywhere, these problems are not difficult to solve. However, the projection requires high power and light and can only be achieved after technological breakthroughs.

Communication is another big demand that smart watch manufacturers have created for users, which is also one of the current smart watch options. However, after a SIM card is installed as an independent communication tool, this method returns the logic of the mobile phone, which is equivalent to adding a mobile phone to the user. The cost of changing the mobile phone number also needs to be considered.

"Husk positioning is to do an independent watch, rather than an extension of mobile phones and other equipment." Xu Peng said. But as an accessory, associated with other devices like cell phones, it has become clear that it has become another big genre among wearables makers. Samsung's Gear watch, smart bracelet Xiaomi are all in the mobile device extends beyond the main device to drive users of wearable devices.

Instead of the password lock millet ID verification, you can unlock directly through the bracelet, but also joined the call to remind function; Samsung watch is synchronized with the phone information, call SMS alerts; shell watch is also joined the function. It is understood that this function is generally achieved through Bluetooth, beyond a certain distance will fail.

A person in charge of a wearable device brand owner said that these requirements are not strictly required in the strict sense. If some functions can be simply implemented on the master device, the manufacturer adds one more hardware to achieve the same function. For the user, Is to increase the burden, "cool" but to increase user stickiness little effect.

Zhang Yahong said wearable devices breakthrough point in the vertical segment, whether it is independent equipment or associated with the main equipment, can solve the needs of subdivided users is the key, such as children, the elderly, and even pets. Century margin of the main marriage and the crowd love and "pass love" concept, through the lover bracelet to achieve positioning, simple feelings of information transmission, in order to precipitate the user.

Recently, a product called "positioning sugar" starting, single-day sales reached 140,000. It is understood that the product positioning as the main function, not equipped with operating system, only GPS positioning. The user can hang the device on the pet and monitor the pet's activity track and position in real time through the mobile client. Its design logic and Qihoo 360 similar to the children's smart bracelet, by tracking the trajectory of children's real-time positioning.

Realization of the form, compared to millet, nutshell, Samsung pure hardware Bluetooth connection mode, positioning sugar, Qihoo 360 is used in the form of "hardware + client" through the Internet to achieve remote data collection, transmission and display .

Multivariate commercial design

Wu Yun, founder of Cloud Technology before accepting the 21st Century Economic Report interview, said the hardware is only as a data entry, when the ultimate goal of cloud technology through data analysis to do health management.

Many interviewed by 21st Century Business Herald also said that the business model of wearable devices will definitely not stop at the hardware. When it reaches a certain user's scale, it is the ultimate goal to realize the liquidation through data analysis and application . This means that, even if the front-end user needs to solve the problem, the back-end business model design is also crucial.

Whether hardware + client or hardware-only mode, wearable brand merchants all join the cloud platform, that is, the data that users interactively generate on the wearable devices will be transmitted to the cloud and generate new business models through big data analysis.

Shijiu edge CEO Wu Linuang before an interview with reporters, said the best edge of the century has been focused on the matchmaking market, users hand once the success of the platform will be lost, and through the smart bracelet, you can save this part of the user, into the marriage market. It is understood that the model of the century good edge design, service through the traditional mode of marriage single user, and then through the smart bracelet tracking hand in hand the success of users, access to relevant data, and then push to achieve such as wedding products, which get through marriage agency, marriage and marriage The whole industry chain. Therefore, the century-edge Miss U smart bracelet increased the screen for information display.

The same is not limited to shell electronics hardware only, Xu Peng said that it will rely on smart watches form a platform to extend more services. But he did not disclose the specific business model.

When the cloud technology is a focus on health data analysis of startups. According to Wu Bing introduction, when the cloud technology to build a data model, through the analysis of human signs and comparison of data to give the analysis results, and then provided to doctors and other professionals to make medical judgments.

He said most of the related products in the previous market were mainly single-point tests, lacking in continuity. The wearable device can provide a continuous and orderly data collection channel. The user's heart rate, heartbeat, blood pressure and other data uploaded to the cloud through the wearable device, on the one hand can be synchronized to the user's APP in real time, while leaving the cloud technology cloud platform.

Wu Bing said that this part of the data will enter the cloud technology when the data model, after comparing the data analysis, you can work with health management agencies, enterprises and institutions, and even insurance companies to share the results of the data. In accordance with the time cloud technology planning, when the cloud technology based on the analysis results to make recommendations, but ultimately determine the professional medical staff will be responsible. Health agencies can use this to provide health warning and prevention services to their clients, and insurers can adjust premium rates based on the data. As a result, the cloud technology to wearable devices as the entrance to form a complete industrial chain.

Tuman has introduced smart watches in the other direction to start exploring. Artesyn Technologies vice president of Blue Xiaodan said that the watch is just the beginning of the hardware products, behind the rest of the hardware have been introduced, the data collected on the watch for analysis and mining, you can use to other smart hardware, such as smart home, through the service And platform for profit, the specific model is still under exploration.

But there are also insisted on hardware as the main profit model of the enterprise, 3db hardware company a flagship mobile terminal and the camera lens connected to the box to solve the general SLR camera in the night shot or the situation of larger color camera problem. Its founder Zhu Jizhi said that for a hardware company, all by the back-end data and services to make money is not established. He said in the marketing, brand and sales, we must use the Internet way, this is a combination of ideas and the Internet, rather than the idea of ​​using Internet products to do the hardware, many of today's intelligent hardware can not be accurately function, It may be impossible for ten years to do it.

From the current market situation, the major wearable brand operators are in the early stage of accumulation of users, the business model is still in exploration. Zhang Yahong said that the current industry is not mature, it is too early to talk about the business model.