????L2研究總監科林?吉爾伯特表示，這一系列合作標志著創新的搖籃與時尚的發源地終于開始牽手。吉爾伯特說，要解決可穿戴領域的難題，缺少的不僅僅是設計這一種要素，但設計確實是這個領域期待的元素。這份報告的調查顯示，超過一半的受訪者希望擁有看上去更像珠寶的可穿戴設備，62%的受訪者更喜歡腕戴式設備。

????吉爾伯特說：“那些以單打獨斗聞名的品牌都開始與意想不到的伙伴合作。如果仔細研究蘋果的投資，你會發現這個特殊隊伍的成員名單，看起來就像是世界上能想象到的各行各業中最優秀的人才的名人錄。”

????要讓產品顯得很“酷”并不是唯一的目的。科技行業如果想讓我們身體的更多部位連上網絡，那么安全問題和隱私問題，尤其是顧客數據管理問題，依舊需要慎重考慮。正如《經濟學人》（The Economist）所說，蓬勃發展的傳感器的魅力，以及可穿戴設備的算法，分散了人們對于其他要素的關注。這些關鍵的其它要素包括：“標準、互通性、一體化、數據管理”，以及“知識產權、執行標準”。對國家安全局（National Security Administration）而言，這些技術發展都必須以網絡安全為前提。

????可穿戴設備公司Atlas Wearables創始人彼得?李表示，電池技術和用戶的保守是可穿戴市場面臨的兩大障礙。他說，在一些情況下，電池技術需要有足夠大的改進才能實現足以激發用戶興趣的體驗，而在穿戴時間、充電時間、處理能力和產品特點上，各家公司也需要做出平衡。

????這個領域的創新速度非常快。自從Fitbit于2008年成立以來，各家公司已經發布了五到六個完全不同的產品。三星（Samsung）則在九個月內發布了可穿戴設備Galaxy Gear的三到四個衍生產品。索尼（Sony）、Pebble、谷歌和Facebook的頭戴式虛擬現實設備Oculus Rift也緊隨其后。

????吉爾伯特說：“我們很容易看到，在當下的市場中，領頭羊們都處在相當脆弱危險的地位。看看他們在每款新設備上做出創新的速度，我們可以很明顯地發現這一點。”

????對可穿戴技術有興趣的不止是科技公司。梅賽德斯-奔馳（Mercedes-Benz）正在將移動體驗移植到可穿戴設備上，而維珍航空（Virgin Atlantic）正在試驗性地探索谷歌眼鏡在顧客服務上的應用。

????吉爾伯特表示，對可穿戴設備的不斷試驗十分重要，但是現在短期內，人們還需要探討一下：“技術的演進以及企業的研發力量共同推動了現有可穿戴產品的發展，但它們是否真的能夠滿足用戶的需求；各公司又是否需要探索不同的合作模式，讓可穿戴設備不僅限于早期使用者的圈子，而是被主流人群所接受”。

????吉爾伯特稱，冬季假期會讓這個領域的熱度降低，但真正的試金石在于各家公司能否開發出可以通過“返回考驗”的可穿戴設備——如果人們已經走出了家門好幾步，依然決定返回去取忘帶了的可穿戴設備，就像他們去取忘掉的錢包、鑰匙、手機一樣，這個設備就成功了。

????他說：“目前為止，健身追蹤器還不屬于這類產品。但是下一代可穿戴設備有潛力跨越這個至關重要的里程碑。”（財富中文網）

????譯者：嚴匡正

????These collaborations signal a moment where the cradle of innovation and the arbiters of fashion are finally embracing one another, says L2 research director Colin Gilbert. Style is not the only missing piece to the wearable puzzle, but it’s something to look forward to, Gilbert says. More than half of the report’s respondents want devices that feel more like jewelry while 62 percent would like more than wrist-worn devices.

????“Brands that are known for going it alone are partnering with unexpected allies,” Gilbert says. “If you dig into Apple’s investment, the special projects team reads like a who’s who list of some of the best talent in the world coming from every sector imaginable.”

????The “cool” factor isn’t the only issue. Security and privacy, particularly around the management of consumer data, remain a concern as the tech industry seeks to bring more of our body parts online. As The Economist notes, the glamour of developing sensors and algorithms for wearables is distracting everyone from glaring missing elements, “standards, interoperability, integration and data management” and “intellectual-property rights and regulatory compliance” among them. All this in an environment where paranoia remains over the National Security Administration’s activities.

????Atlas Wearables founder Peter Li says battery technology and user retention are two more obstacles facing the wearables market. Some use cases require significant improvements to battery technology for a compelling experience, he says, and there’s always a balance to be struck between wear time between charges and processing power and features.

????The pace of innovation has been rapid. Fitbit has released five or six distinct models since the company launched in 2008, and Samsung released three or four variants of the Galaxy Gear in a nine-month period. Sony SNE 0.77% , Pebble, Google, and Facebook’s FB 0.25% Oculus Rift are positioned to follow.

????“It’s very easy to see the leaders in the current market are in a fairly tenuous or precarious position right now,” Gilbert says. “That’s evident by how quickly they’re innovating on each new device type.”

????Interest in wearable technology isn’t limited to technology companies. Mercedes-Benz is porting its mobile experience to a wearable device, while Virgin Atlantic is exploring the customer service aspect of Google Glass on a trial basis. Kenneth Cole is also using Glass as part of a marketing campaign.

????Continued experimentation with wearables is important, but the near-term requires a conversation “about whether current wearables, driven by a combination of organic efforts and corporate tech efforts, are really adhering to customer needs and wants or if companies need to explore a different set of partnerships to push wearables beyond early adopters and into the mainstream,” Gilbert says.

????The winter holiday season will help thin the herd, but the true litmus test will be when a company can introduce a wearable that passes the “turnaround test,” Gilbert says—when a person walks a few steps from their front door and decides to turn around to retrieve a forgotten wearable device like they would a forgotten wallet, keys, or phone.

????“Right now the fitness tracker isn’t on that list,” he says, “but the next generation of wearables has the potential to pass that critical milestone.”