我擔心我們電子產(chǎn)業(yè)中的許多人可能完全搞錯了所謂的“可穿戴式(wearable)”趨勢。在這個可穿戴設備崛起的時代，最重要的議題不應該是討論可穿戴設備的外觀該如何，而是該去理解“為何需要可穿戴設備？”除了能向人炫耀你戴了很酷的智能手表，該思考的是設備的可穿戴性能為用戶帶來什么好處。 不久前包括Samsung與LG都發(fā)表了第一批采用Android Wear平臺的智能手表；該平臺是Google專為智能手表與其他可穿戴設備打造的操作系統(tǒng)。并非試圖將一整支智能手機塞進腕表中，采用 Android Wear的新設備設計是為了傳達需要的信息、以方便快速響應；這與前一代“把智能手機綁在手腕上”的設備相較，是一種進步。

LG采用Android Wear操作系統(tǒng)的智能手表G Watch
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實際上，我們之中有多少人會想要一只每次一有新短信、Facebook新消息或新電子郵件就嗶嗶叫的手表？當然，我知道Android Wear智能手表的功能不只是通知，但不知道你是不是跟我一樣，覺得Android Wear的通知功能很像倒退回了BP機時代？我想很多人不會希望再一次配戴那像是電子鎖鏈的東西。 讓我們先把Android Wear放一邊，來談談GoPro攝影機。以Hero做為產(chǎn)品名稱的GoPro攝影機零售價在199.99美元至399.99美元之間，風靡運動愛好者， 特別是沖浪、潛水、滑雪板與自行車等體育項目。這種產(chǎn)品感覺有點像是可穿戴設備的原型，是未來所有可穿戴設備的一個先驅典范。 GoPro 這家公司最近在美國股票上市(GoPro市值目前為29.6億美元)，對一家新創(chuàng)公司來說是非常了不起的成就。一篇路透社報導引述了Dougherty & Co分析師Charlie Anderson的說法：“自從iPod與iPad問世以來，大概沒有一個消費性電子品牌像GoPro這樣，能在其產(chǎn)品領域扮演主導性的角色。” 我不太確定自己是否會跟進對GoPro的如此贊譽，但這家運動攝影機供貨商確實成功地在一個明確的市場領域打出自己的品牌，而該領域是其他大型消費性電子業(yè)者與傳統(tǒng)攝影機制造商還不敢嘗試的。我認為GoPro最令人欣賞的，就是有想到“為何需要可穿戴設備？”這個問題，它的攝影機在這方面表現(xiàn)優(yōu)異。

GoPro的滑雪頭盔用攝影機Hero 3+
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眾所周知，GoPro的創(chuàng)辦人Nick Woodman是因為在2002年前往澳洲旅行時，想拍攝自己在沖浪時的運動照片，所以有了創(chuàng)辦公司的靈感；在那個時候，市面上沒有一款攝影機能讓業(yè)余攝影師能在運動時拿來拍攝，而且是能“穿戴”在身上的。 將 一臺小型數(shù)字相機放在頭盔上或是裝設在自行車等所謂的極限運動設備上，并不是Woodman一個人的愿望，很多運動愛好者也渴望能在自己運動時捕捉到非常 高質量的畫面，以記錄自己的“戰(zhàn)績”。GoPro的攝影機并不是為了“可穿戴”所開發(fā)出來的裝置，而是為了達成在運動狀態(tài)下更貼近用戶的任務，“可穿戴”才變成不可缺少的元素。 本文授權編譯自EE Times，版權所有，謝絕轉載 本文下一頁：新一代可穿戴設備制造商都缺少動機與熱情

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{pagination} 我認為新一代的Android Wear設備制造商，都缺少了Woodman的動機與熱情，也錯失了可穿戴設備的真正重點；那些廠商為了可穿戴設備市場而開發(fā)可穿戴設備，但并沒有想好將智能設備穿戴在身上，究竟是必須或是只能說“還不錯”。 GoPro的成功也預示了誰可能主導未來的可穿戴設備市場。值得注意的是，Sony、Panasonic與Canon等消費性電子市場老品牌，其實都嚴重誤解了運動攝影機市場；它們的技術都是頂尖的，但卻沒能透過理解使用者的情感所向來開發(fā)運動攝影機。 如Envisioneering Group分析師Richard Doherty 所言，那些老品牌的失敗并非是缺乏嘗試的勇氣：“Sony在高價位產(chǎn)品嘗試過許多GoPro產(chǎn)品有的功能，而Samsung也開發(fā)過類似的原型，但根據(jù)我們所知，那些業(yè)者并沒有成功銷售過運動攝影機。” 那么GoPro到底是怎么成功的？Doherty認為，該公司正巧搭上了人們越來越愛“自拍”的風潮；而邀請某某運動名人用GoPro攝影機拍攝影片的市場營銷活動，以及積極在YouTube與公司官網(wǎng)發(fā)布視頻的策略也發(fā)揮了作用。 IHS Technology 的分析師Francis Sideco 則認為，軟件也是讓GoPro凸顯自己的一大成功因素：“其設備能提供高質量視頻，并可輕易透過免費應用程序來編輯并分享視訊，產(chǎn)品價格也符合消費者的預期；”他指出，雖然其他競爭對手同業(yè)如Contour、Drift也做了類似的嘗試，但GoPro的營銷活動成功地讓該公司領先群雄。 不過Sideco也表示，GoPro需要維持在技術上具備競爭力的產(chǎn)品，同時透過定期客戶活動與視頻比賽等來培養(yǎng)客戶群；該公司確實也開始做到了這些：“他們的公開發(fā)行也透露了如此的戰(zhàn)略方向?！? 如果GoPro的成功帶來任何啟示，那些將在可穿戴式業(yè)務領域取得成功的廠商，會是能理解使用者并知道他們?yōu)楹我掷m(xù)配戴可穿戴設備的；此外還有能開發(fā)讓使用者充分發(fā)揮可穿戴設備功能之軟件的業(yè)者。 就像Envisioneering Group的Doherty的結論，GoPro正享受著：“讓他們成功建立品牌的社交網(wǎng)絡情感依戀，而透過傾聽設備用戶的聲音，他們將能保持新鮮感。”我也認為，這是眾多有意開發(fā)可穿戴設備市場的供貨商們需要學習的。 本文授權編譯自EE Times，版權所有，謝絕轉載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：Wearable: Ask First 'Why Wear It?'，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} Wearable: Ask First 'Why Wear It?' Junko Yoshida, Chief International Correspondent MADISON, Wis. — I'm afraid many of us in the electronics industry might be getting this whole "wearable" trend all wrong. In the era of emerging wearable devices, the most important part of the debate shouldn't be "how" a wearable device looks (its form factor, if you will). More important is to understand "what for." Why attach a gadget to yourself? Aside from the brief thrill of bragging about your cool new smart watch, how does wearability enhance the gadget, for the person wearing it? I am looking at the first Android Wear smartwatches unveiled, respectively, by Samsung and LG on Wednesday. Android Wear is a version of Google's mobile operating system tailored for smart watches and other wearables. LG's G Watch powered by Android Wear OS Instead of trying to cram an entire smartphone into a wristwatch, the new gear based on the Android Wear OS is designed for to convey information as they need it, and to facilitate a quick response. This is an improvement on the previous generation of smartphone-strapped-on-a-wrist devices. But really, how many of us actually want to get pinged by a watch every time we receive a text message, a mention in Twitter, an update in Facebook, or a new email? I know that an Android Wear-based smartwatch is meant to do so much more than paging. But am I the only thinking that the notification part of Android Wear feels distinctly like a throwback to the beeper era? Anyone who remembers wearing that electronic leash will be reluctant for a re-run. But let's set aside the new Android Wear gizmos for a moment, and think about the GoPro camera. Designed under the Hero brand, GoPro's camera, retailing somewhere between $199.99 and $399.99, is popular among athletes, especially surfers, divers, skateboarders and cyclists. It feels like the prototype wearable device, a harbinger of all future wearable devices. As seen in the company's IPO this week (which valued GoPro at $2.96 billion), the ascension of the startup is pretty remarkable. In a Reuters story, Dougherty & Co analyst Charlie Anderson was quoted saying, "There probably hasn't been a consumer electronics brand as dominant as GoPro has been in its category since the early days of the iPod or the iPad." GoPro Hero3+ on ski helmet I'm not sure if I would go so far as to praise GoPro. But it's true that the action sports camera supplier has successfully carved out a brand of its own in a solid market segment where big CE companies and traditional camera manufacturers had never ventured. What I admire most about GoPro, however, is that it has figured out the "what for" part of the wearable device question. Its cameras execute well on this promise. Next page: GoPro's success GoPro's founder Nick Woodman is known to have been inspired to start the company because he wanted to take action photos of his own surfing during a trip to Australia in 2002. At that time, no cameras were available that amateur photographers could pick up and "wear," to capture images so close to real action. The idea of a digital camera small enough for anyone to wear on his helmet or to mount on a bicycle and other "extreme sports" gear turned out to be not just Woodman's passion. Many sports enthusiasts crave to capture very high-quality sports action footage of their own exploits. GoPro's camera wasn't a device developed for the sake of being "wearable," though. Instead, the mission of getting close to the real action made wearability indispensable. I think the new-generation Android Wear device makers, lacking Woodman's drive and passion, are missing the point about wearable devices. They're developing wearable devices for the sake of being in the wearable market. They have no clue about whether wearing a smart device is necessary or just nice. GoPro's success also sheds some light on who might eventually rule as future wearable device developers. It's important to note that Sony, Panasonic, or Canon -- incumbents in the consumer electronics market -- badly misunderstood the action-sports camera market. Their technology was state-of-the-art, but they failed to understand the emotional attachment users tend to develop for their action-sports cameras. As Richard Doherty, research director at the Envisioneering Group, put it, their failure wasn't because of their lack of trying. "Sony tried. [They've done so] with higher-priced products and many features behind each GoPro release. Samsung prototyped it. But to our knowledge, they never sold many SportsCams," Doherty observed. GoPro's success Then, how exactly did GoPro succeed? Doherty said that GoPro was able to ride a wave of "people's increased desire for narcissistic video." In his opinion, Flip video could have taken GoPro's place but Cisco's suddenly folding Flip also helped GoPro. Marketing stunts like "Felix Baumgartner jumping from the Red Bull balloon using GoPro" also worked well. But perhaps more important, GoPro made efforts in "publishing videos on the GoPro and YouTube channels." In essence, Doherty said, "What Flip started, GoPro perfected." Francis Sideco, senior director of consumer, mobile, and IT Electronics at IHS Technology, believes that software helped GoPro set itself apart. "The devices provide great video, editing is easily enabled (and shared) via a free app, and prices are in-line with consumer/prosumer expectations," Sideco told EE Times. Other companies like Contour and Drift tried, said Sideco, but GoPro's substantial marketing efforts have put "the company ahead of the pack." What's needed for GoPro is, according to the IHS analyst, "to maintain a technically competitive product while cultivating their user base, engaging with regular correspondence, giveaways, and video contests." But GoPro already does all this. "Their Social IPO points to this strategy," said Sideco. If GoPro's success is any indication, those who succeed in the wearable business are the ones who understand their users and know why they want to keep wearing certain wearable devices. Further, they're the ones who develop software that allows users to make the most of the device they purchased. As Doherty summed up, GoPro "now enjoys a social media emotional attachment which builds their brand. By listening to owners, they stay fresh." Similar insight, I believe, is required of any vendor hoping to exploit the wearable market.