While health has always been intrinsically linked to technology, the influence of health wearables in the healthcare sector is growing exponentially. Trends are ranging from glucose monitoring, to speech therapy, seizure detection, posture aid and sleep monitoring, with heart monitoring being smartwatches’ most established health feature yet.
With more people aware that they are at risk of having a heart attack, heart monitoring becomes one of the main health applications in the new smartwatch range. While many smartwatches already offer heart rate monitoring, some brands have developed smartwatches capable of detecting irregular heart rhythms such as
Apple and
Fitbit or on-the-go medical-grade ECG (Electrocardiogram) such as
Apple and
Withings.
Although still in its infancy, Juniper thinks that smartwatches have great potential when it comes to healthcare. Easy to wear, non-invasive and unobtrusive, new sensors could have the ability to easily gather and analyse a wide range of health data. However, this use case has an impressive number of limitations, such as strict regulations and limited technology, which could cripple many innovations and emerging companies.
Juniper also claims that an intensified focus on healthcare integration will also contribute to the increase of smartwatch shipments over the next few years. Juniper forecasts that
Apple and
Withings will lead the way in terms of healthcare integration, followed by
Fitbit and
Garmin.
Juniper forecasts smartwatch shipments to reach 166 million in 2023, up from an estimated 83 million in 2019, a CAGR of 19% over the next 4 years. The big 4 smartwatch vendors,
Apple,
Fossil,
Fitbit and
Samsung, will have their market share for smartwatch shipments fall to 47%, down from an estimated 56% in 2019.
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