Traditional watches were mainly based on timing at the beginning, and then gradually evolved to be more decorative than timing; while smart watches can achieve a large number of additional functions i
Traditional watches were mainly based on timing at the beginning, and then gradually evolved to be more decorative than timing; while smart watches can achieve a large number of additional functions in addition to timing. Users can view notification information more conveniently, answer calls, receive and send text messages. At the same time, various health indicators are recorded and tracked to facilitate checking of health status at any time.
Obviously, when we buy smart watches, we don't just use it to see the time, because if there is only this demand, traditional mechanical watches would be a better choice. Therefore, we need to be clear about what function we hope it can achieve. From the current smart watch products on the market, smart watches are usually divided into two categories: health data monitoring and all-round smart experience. Health data monitoring usually has monitoring functions such as heart rate, step counting and calorie consumption. When choosing this type of product, you must clearly understand what you need and what it can bring us.
1. Types of smart watch solutions
1. Adult smart watch program
Bluetooth can synchronize mobile phone calls, send and receive text messages, monitor sleep, monitor heart rate, sedentary reminders, running step recording, remote photography, music playback, video, compass and other functions, which are deeply loved by modern business and fashionistas.
2. Smart watch solution for children's positioning
Multiple positioning, two-way communication, SOS for help, remote monitoring, intelligent anti-lost, historical track, electronic fence, pedometer, love rewards and other functions to ensure the safety of children and let parents rest assured.
3. Smart watch solution for the elderly
Ultra-precision GPS positioning, family calls, emergency calls, heart rate monitoring, sedentary reminders, medication reminders and many other customized functions for the elderly provide an umbrella for the elderly to travel, so that children can rest assured.
2. The operating system of the smart watch
From the operating system perspective, the current smart watch operating systems on the market can be divided into mainstream Android and systems independently developed by brand manufacturers. The following are the watch operating systems of the major brands that we count:
In terms of operating system classification, it is mainly Watch OS, Versa 2, Tizen and Android Wear. As Apple Watch’s sales are far ahead, Watch OS has become the smart watch operating system with the highest market share in the world. In terms of sales volume, Watch OS, Versa 2, Tizen and Android Wear are the mainstream operating systems.
The Android operating system is gradually losing its dominance, and the watch operating system is contending. The smart watch engine is mainly Apple's watchOS, Fitbit OS, Android and Samsung Tizen OS. The Android operating system has lost its previous dominance in smartphones, partly due to Google's reduced focus on Android wear OS in the past few years, reduced UI intuitiveness, and selective cooperation with smart watch OEMs.
3. Challenges of smart watch solutions
The lack of innovation in functions, poor battery life, unsightly design, and immature operating systems are the main core pain points criticized by consumers at the beginning of the smart hand’s appearance. At the same time, because smart watches rely on mobile phones in the early days, functional innovations It highly overlaps with smartphones, and becomes an accessory of smartphones in most scenes.
1. Insufficient battery life and frequent charging
Smart watches generally charge once every 1-2 days. Due to its limited appearance and weight, it cannot be equipped with a larger capacity battery. At the same time, the smartwatch also integrates multiple functions such as heart rate monitoring, sending and receiving SMS/email, and caller ID, which puts more stringent requirements on power consumption.
Currently, smart watch manufacturers are also looking for ways to reduce power consumption and extend battery life. In order to reduce power consumption as much as possible, this series of products realizes the wrist activation function through the built-in gravity sensor. In the non-power saving mode, the digital clock can be displayed as long as the wrist is raised. But sometimes this function is not sensitive, which makes it inconvenient to check the time. With the development and evolution of smart watches, terminal manufacturers are gradually optimizing battery life and other issues through software and hardware. At the same time, in addition to batteries, fast charging technology and wireless charging technology have developed rapidly in recent years. Both in terms of battery capacity and charging speed, there is hope to solve the pain points of insufficient battery life of smart watches.
2. Wireless connection method
In the early days of the development of smart watches, smart watches, like bracelets, are often only accessory devices of mobile phones. They are connected to mobile phones via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to achieve functions such as step counting, making calls, and reading text messages. Smart watches are limited by the requirements of small size, thinner and lighter weight. Traditional SIM cards cannot be implanted in watches. In the case of seeking to achieve more durable and waterproof mobile phones, it is also required to remove more entry points.
With the development of the SIM card, the emergence of the e-SIM card solves the pain points of smart watches attached to smart phones. As the three major domestic operators have successively launched eSIM services, the entire smart watch segment is undergoing a stage of cellular function development, which can make it a truly independent wearable device.
3. The function lacks innovation, and the boundary with mobile phone positioning is blurred
The positioning of smart watches and smart phones overlap, lack of innovation, screen display area is much smaller than mobile phones, inaccurate touch, network connections rely on mobile phones and other issues, have become the bottleneck of the rapid growth of smart watches in the early development stage. Regarding positioning, brand manufacturers are constantly searching and exploring to find suitable smartwatch positioning; at the moment, watches mainly focus on sports and health, and children's watches have also become one of the core needs.
Compared with smart phones, the biggest difference between smart watches and mobile phones is that smart watches are close to human skin. Sleep monitoring, calories burned, human heart rate, continuous monitoring of ambulatory blood pressure, electrocardiogram, blood oxygen, and skin electrical properties are all data that can be done with wearable devices but not mobile phones. In addition to distinguishing mobile phones, smart watches can also replace mobile phone functions to a certain extent, freeing hands.
Fourth, the application of smart watch solutions
Compared with traditional watches, smart watches are more practical, with usage scenarios such as health, GSP positioning, and sports. Generally speaking, the functions of smart watches are practical, and the functions of each family are relatively similar. According to our statistics, mainstream smart watches can be divided into health, sports and children, etc., and there are also outstanding ones in each application scenario.
1. Sports applications of smart watches
Sports have become the mainstream use scene, and the mainstream people in sports are the mainstream people in electronic devices. After smart watches are implanted into cellular networks, the pain points that were originally dependent on mobile phones have gradually disappeared. In lightly-packed scenarios such as swimming, fitness, and running, watches have become the best electronic device to replace mobile phones. In daily life, the independence of smart watches will greatly reduce the dependence of users on mobile phones. The current mainstream needs for fitness and sports come from 26-35 years old, and this age group is the mainstream consumer of electronic equipment.
2. Health applications of smart watches
Health will become one of the important scenarios for the future development of smart watches. From the medical examination industry, we can conclude that health has become the main demand at the moment, and this demand is increasing year by year. The market size of China's medical examination industry has steadily increased year by year. As more and more smart watches begin to be equipped with ECG functions, the extension of smart watches in health scenarios will bring about new demands and changes in usage habits for users, and higher technologies will be established for manufacturers Barriers to strengthen competitive advantage.
3. Children's applications for smart watches
Child safety is the primary focus of parents. The problem of missing children in China has become serious since the 1980s. By the early 1990s, the number of missing children had reached the highest number in history. Child safety has always been the main core requirement. From a technical point of view, the current indoor positioning technologies include RFID, Wifi, UWB, infrared and ultrasonic, ZigBee, base station positioning, inertial navigation positioning and other different technical directions. Some are relatively complete, and some indoor positioning technologies are far from There is still a long way to go for commercial use. Currently, Apple’s new iPhone 11 has launched UWB indoor positioning technology, which has smaller positioning errors than Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and can achieve "centimeter-level" positioning. Some children's watches use triangulation technology, enhanced WiFi fingerprint model technology, geomagnetic technology, Bluetooth technology, etc., combined with the indoor map service provided by Baidu Maps, indoor positioning accuracy is inferior to the centimeter-level accuracy of iPhone UWB indoor positioning, and indoor positioning accuracy Can reach between 5-15 meters.
In addition, children's watches have replaced mobile phones well, enriching the communication between parents and children. Parents can directly contact children through video calls, voice calls and other functions, and avoid the extra features of smart phones from interfering with children's learning.
Five, the structural components of the smart watch
Smart watches have rich functions and integrate a large number of internal components. Unlike traditional electronic watches, various electronic components integrated in smart watches bring rich functions to them. The composition of the smart watch can be divided into the body and the strap; in detail, the composition of the watch can be divided into a sensor, a chip, a battery, a touch screen, a display screen, a body and a strap.
In the small size of smart watches, a large number of ICs are integrated, such as radio frequency, Bluetooth, WiFi, power management chips, etc., as well as sensors, accelerometers and other components. The manufacturers of components come from well-known manufacturers; along with the integration of smart watches The degree of development is getting higher and higher, and the functions are gradually improving. The demand for the supply chain is gradually expanding. In the future, a complete industrial chain and value chain will be formed.
Six, the development prospects of smart watches
Smart watches equipped with independent 4G will gradually develop with the advancement of operators in eSim business. 4G not only supplements the call scenarios of smart watches, but also provides the convenience of instant data transmission for ecological services based on multiple scenarios such as sports, health, and life. And smart watches equipped with voice assistants, with the cooperation of smart wireless headset products, will become a new type of terminal device combination in scenarios that require hands-free. The scale of the TWS market is rising rapidly. The "match made in heaven" of TWS headsets + smart watches is also expected to take over from mobile phones in the mobile scene to handle tasks such as making calls, payments, and viewing information, which is especially suitable for the segmented scene of outing sports.
The combination of watch + earphones can bring users quick operation and portable experience, especially in scenes that are not convenient to use mobile phones such as cycling and running. In addition, the linkage of watches and earphones, diversified and fragmented networking methods, breaks the mobile phone The monopoly of all connected time can alleviate the digital anxiety caused by mobile phones to a certain extent. With the popularization of new mobile communication technologies such as eSIM one multi-terminal and future 5G commercial use, the cost of independent communication for users on AI wearables has been significantly reduced. AI wearables, especially the wrist + ear combination of smart watches and smart headphones, will truly replace smart phones and become one of the most important connected terminals in people's lives.
