Some analysts think wearables’ killer feature may eventually be that they will provide their users with a “persistent” digital identity, melding the functions of a driving licence, credit card, house key, car key and computer in one small gadget worn on the wrist or neck. To see what that future might look like, travel to the Disney World theme park in Orlando. Disney invested around $1 billion to build a system in which people use a wristband (called a MagicBand) to get on rides, pay for food and enter their hotel rooms. The technology is convenient for guests, who have to carry around fewer cards, but probably costs them more in the end, because it is so easy to buy something without thinking of the bill. The bands let Disney collect data in real time about the traffic their rides and restaurants are getting, so as to deploy staff to the right places. Other firms are taking tentative steps in a similar direction. Carmakers such as Hyundai are creating apps to let people unlock and start their cars remotely with their watches and phones.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Wearable technology: The wear, why and how
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21646225-smartwatches-and-other-wearable-devices-become-mainstream-products-will-take-more
Some analysts think wearables’ killer feature may eventually be that they will provide their users with a “persistent” digital identity, melding the functions of a driving licence, credit card, house key, car key and computer in one small gadget worn on the wrist or neck. To see what that future might look like, travel to the Disney World theme park in Orlando. Disney invested around $1 billion to build a system in which people use a wristband (called a MagicBand) to get on rides, pay for food and enter their hotel rooms. The technology is convenient for guests, who have to carry around fewer cards, but probably costs them more in the end, because it is so easy to buy something without thinking of the bill. The bands let Disney collect data in real time about the traffic their rides and restaurants are getting, so as to deploy staff to the right places. Other firms are taking tentative steps in a similar direction. Carmakers such as Hyundai are creating apps to let people unlock and start their cars remotely with their watches and phones.
Some analysts think wearables’ killer feature may eventually be that they will provide their users with a “persistent” digital identity, melding the functions of a driving licence, credit card, house key, car key and computer in one small gadget worn on the wrist or neck. To see what that future might look like, travel to the Disney World theme park in Orlando. Disney invested around $1 billion to build a system in which people use a wristband (called a MagicBand) to get on rides, pay for food and enter their hotel rooms. The technology is convenient for guests, who have to carry around fewer cards, but probably costs them more in the end, because it is so easy to buy something without thinking of the bill. The bands let Disney collect data in real time about the traffic their rides and restaurants are getting, so as to deploy staff to the right places. Other firms are taking tentative steps in a similar direction. Carmakers such as Hyundai are creating apps to let people unlock and start their cars remotely with their watches and phones.
