As the potential for smart wearable devices continues to
draw new entrants into the market, it is the sports and healthcare
functionality that continues to dominate shipments and drives future wearable
device adoption.
The most popular device functionality is heart rate
monitoring with close to 12 million devices shipped in 2013. These are
primarily single function devices that communicate with nearby hubs such as
smartphones or activity sports watches. Pedometers and activity trackers were
the next two most popular devices, accounting for around 16 million devices
combined in 2013.