Smartwatches will be the most important product category since iPad, says Canalys

Jul 18, 2013 10:11 GMT  ·  By

Canalys VP and principal analyst Chris Jones has issued a brief take on the smartwatch market recently, suggesting that Apple will definitely have a piece of the pie soon.

Amid rumors of Apple developing a wearable computer in the form of a smartwatch, Canalys estimated in a recent report that over 330,000 smartwatches were shipped in 2012, and that at least 500,000 units would be deployed in 2013.

Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung are all racing to introduce the next best smartwatch, according to Canalys.

Apple will definitely have its say in 2014, according to principal analyst Chris Jones, who says in a statement, “Smartwatches will be the most important new product category in consumer electronics since the iPad defined the market for tablets.

He also remarked that developers would see new opportunities open before them as there would be software demand, such as for wellness, sports and fitness apps.

Hardware-wise, those who create ARM-architecture custom silicon are also set to gain some momentum. Licensees will “enjoy significant hardware advantages in this space,” Canalys analyst Daniel Matte chimed in to say.