One of the greatest parts of my job is to read report after report from analysts on current and future trends. There are some whose opinions I holder higher than others (Thomas Husson at Forrester being one of the best), and for the most part you have to take a lot of research with a grain of salt. Trends are in the eye of the beholder, just like in the stock market.
One of the trends I have been reading over the past few months is that now is the time to launch your own platform. Of course, it’s impossible to do that without a killer app. This GigaOm article provides a very important twist on the need for a platform: a wearable, data-gathering, Bluetooth-linked platform.
Remember the days when our mobile phones kept getting smaller and thinner? Apple still thinks it’s an important feature. I am starting to think our mobile phone needs to just be small enough to fit in our pockets so that it can be connected to my wearable devices.
The days where we are scared about the data our devices gather are basically over. The more I can learn what is happening with my body, the weather, the food I eat, and countless other data points, the better. Add in messaging, GPS, social media, and call alerts, and the platform is complete.
Applications may not be enough to compete in the mobile sphere alone anymore. With app stores still in their infancy, that is a scary idea to float out there. I will be keeping track of the wearable device market with great interest this year. This may be the year of the wearable platform.
Chris Murman 