LTE-enabled watches may resurrect smartwatch market, says Canalys

"The hype surrounding smartwatches has been short-lived and the market must now focus on compelling use cases to stimulate demand," says Canalys' Mo Jia, "vendors in China, including Xiaotiancai and 360, have released Android-based smartwatches running on LTE networks, enabling parents to keep tabs on their children.

electronicsweekly, Aug. 15, 2017 – 

The smartwatch market, which has so far been a bit of a non-event, could get traction from LTE-enabled devices in H2, says Canalys.

The arrival of the new Snapdragon Wear chipsets from Qualcomm has prompted vendors to improve their wearable band offerings."

Apple is expected to launch a cellular-enabled smartwatch in H2.

"Apple is poised to capture the cellular smartwatch market by using its strong relationships with operators, which will become critical points of sale for cellular smartwatches and related services," says Canalys' Jason Low, "it is crucial for Apple Stores and Apple's offline retail partners to adapt quickly to effectively showcase new cellular-enabled use cases as soon as products are available."

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