Expanded Use Cases and Ecosystem Integration to Reignite Wearable Market in 2028

Wearable demand growth declined to 14.6% YoY in 2022 from 27.7% YoY in 2021 due to the economic slowdown after the peak of the COVID pandemic. This trend persisted in the first half of 2023, as longer replacement cycles and a lack of compelling features suppressed consumer demand. However, technology intelligence firm ABI Research predicts that the overall wearables market will rebound, reaching 689.33 million shipments by the end of 2028, with a CAGR of 11.3% between 2023 and 2028.

The NFC Forum unveiled a new NFC Device Class specification that provides device manufacturers and OEMs with a miniature, low-cost, sustainable solution for wireless wearable devices. The Card Emulation (CE) Device class is the first of its kind answering an industry need for wearable devices that provide basic functionality and longer battery life in a tiny footprint while maintaining interoperability with the current NFC ecosystem.

This patent analysis looks at an interesting wearable acoustic device, patented by five inventors on behalf of Bose Corp, and which the company would later apply in its Bose SoundWear Companion - the brand's own iteration of an around-the-neck or neckband concept, launched at the end of 2017. With a significant number of claims, the awarded patent describes “a neck loop that is constructed and arranged to be worn around the neck," with drivers located, one each, below the left and right ears of the user, and two acoustically coupled waveguides.

2013 CEA Technology Winners The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) recently announced the winners of the sixth annual Technology & Standards Awards. Nominees were judged on their commitment to excellence as evidenced by the extent and consistency of their overall ongoing …