Intel: Wearable technology is failing because it's not doing enough

Intel: Wearable technology is failing because it's not doing enough
Google Glass might be grabbing headlines, but does it actually add anything to our lives?

Wearable technology still has some way to go before it adds any meaning to our lives, according to Intel.

Speaking at the Wearable Technology Show in London, Intel Futurist Steve Brown said that wearable tech is undeniably the future, but developers need to think more carefully about how it will benefit us day to day.

"Just having great technology is not going to be enough," said Brown. "A lot of the wearables that have come out to date are failing because they don't do that additional work.

"It's not just about form, fit and fashion," he said, but added that adding personalisation will still be key.

Re-think

"We need to ask what this technology connects people to… thinking about how to personalise and add meaning to these wearables is going to be key," Brown said.

"Wearables will only be successful when they do things that people really care about"

An example he gave was a wearable device that would allow a parent to remotely monitor the health of a sleeping baby and would automatically send a signal to a kitchen device to warm some milk if needed.

Brown said he believed that in ten years' time anything and everything could become a computer, from shoes to coffee cups.

Hugh Langley

Hugh Langley is the ex-News Editor of TechRadar. He had written for many magazines and websites including Business Insider, The Telegraph, IGN, Gizmodo, Entrepreneur Magazine, WIRED (UK), TrustedReviews, Business Insider Australia, Business Insider India, Business Insider Singapore, Wareable, The Ambient and more.


Hugh is now a correspondent at Business Insider covering Google and Alphabet, and has the unfortunate distinction of accidentally linking the TechRadar homepage to a rival publication.