Survey finds wearable device usage on rise in Taiwan

2016/01/05

Around 930,000 individuals in Taiwan owned wearable devices in 2015, roughly 4 percent of the total population and up from 1.7 percent the year before, according to a recently released survey by Taipei City-based Institute for Information Industry.

Smartbands top the list at 68.3 percent, followed by smart watches at 40.4 percent. The gadgets possess fashion appeal as well as functionality, with 58.5 percent reporting daily usage.

Nearly 65 percent credited the devices with helping them exercise more effectively, while 54.2 percent relied on them for health monitoring, 47.9 percent schedule reminders and 41.1 percent to connect to other smart devices.

Institute analyst Kevin Han said the study by Innovative Digitech-Enabled Applications and Services Institute under the state-backed III revealed that an increasing number of global high-tech heavyweights are rushing to enter the market with a wide range of new wearable devices.

“Local firms are highly advised to develop new functions catering to consumers’ health needs or enabling links with other mobile devices,” he said. “Additional opportunities stem from providing information and services relating to users’ daily lives, as well as integrating social media and communication functions.”

Commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and conducted between June 27 and Aug. 1, 2015, the survey generated 4,026 valid responses from randomly selected individuals nationwide. It has a 95 percent confidence level and a 1.5 percent margin of error.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=240871&ctNode=2194&mp=9)