EXCLUSIVE
More than one in four Australian adults will own a piece of wearable technology by the end of the year, and most will invest in the gadgets to improve their fitness, a new study revealed today.
A Pureprofile survey of 1501 adults, released on the eve of Apple’s first smartwatchlaunch, found one in five Australians already owned wearable technology, but more than one in four, or 26 per cent of the adult population, intended to buy into the trend by 2016.
Trying out tech … An Apple Store employee puts a Watch on Canadian TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos. Picture: George Pimentel/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
Pureprofile chief executive Paul Chan said the survey showed smartwatches, fitness trackers and sports watches would attract a “very large” audience in Australia over the next year, fuelled by Apple’s move into the market.
“The Apple Watch is obviously driving most of the hype at the moment,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are fence-sitters but they will want to buy. They will be fence-sitters up until they see referrals from their friends.”
The survey, conducted in February and March, also found fitness was the biggest motivator for wearable device purchases, and 70 per cent of owners claimed wearing technology had helped them to improve their fitness.
Smart to watch it … Apple’s smartwatch arranges its apps on a home screen in miniature. Picture: AP/Bebeto MatthewsSource:AP
Wearable gadgets were most popular with 30 to 34-year-olds in Australia, the survey found, with more than one in three using the technology.
One in 10 Australians aged over 65 years own a piece of wearable gadgetry but the survey showed 15 per cent intended to purchase wearable devices in the next year.
“It appeals to all generations — it doesn’t skip a generation,” Mr Chan said.
“If the Apple Watch accelerates this market then we’ve certainly got a new product category that’s here to stay.”
Research firm Telsyte predicted the Australian smartwatch market would top $400 million by 2018, and would grow 50 per cent this year on the back of the Apple Watch’s arrival.
Friday arrival … Experts expect Apple’s Watch to spark greater interest in wearable technology. Picture: Stephen Lam/Getty Images/AFPSource:AFP
Australians bought 370,000 smartwatches last year, Telsyte’s Smartphone and Wearable Devices Market Study 2015 found, and more than 800,000 fitness trackers from companies including Fitbit and Garmin.
Apple’s first piece of wearable technology, the Apple Watch, will go on sale in Australia on Friday morning, with prices starting at $499 and reaching as high as $24,000.
The company will not sell Apple Watches in store on Friday, however, instead forcing customers to buy the smartwatch online, where most models are currently sold out until June.
[Source:-news.com.au]