There’ll be 100 million smartwatches in use by 2019, apparently

A new report brings good news for Apple, Google, Sony, Pebble, and any other companies hoping that smartwatches will be a lucrative new revenue stream.

Apparently, 100 million of us around the world will be sporting a smartwatch by 2019. We shouldn’t expect to snap up a bargain in that time, though: apparently prices aren’t likely to go much below $200 (around £125) until at least 2020. And it won’t just be a tech brand business: we can also expect fashion designers and luxury watch specialists like TAG Heuer to get in on the action.

The report, which was released by Juniper Research and is catchily-named ‘Smart Watches: Market Dynamics, Vendor Strategies & Scenario Forecasts 2014-2019’ suggests that brands will differentiate themselves not so much in terms of hardware, but features like GPS and NFC (near field communication, which powers Apple Pay and will be a feature on the Apple Watch). Customers will choose their fave based on what works best for their lives, rather than a single app making a particular operating system popular.

But it also says that watches with a single function like the Martian Notifier will become less popular as the big-name devices offer us an increasingly sophisticated array of options. No word yet on how this might affect the pocket watch market.

Image via Apple.

Want to read more? If you’re looking to buy a wearable or activity tracker, we’ve found the best wearables to keep you safe, but, if they’re too expensive, here are the best budget wearables and activity trackers for under £70.

If you’re not bothered by wearables at all, but still want help with keeping fit, check out our feature on 10 kitchen gadgets, tools and utensils for healthy living.