The wearable future is stuck in weird, experimental, existential limbo
The wearable technology market is currently in a state of experimental limbo as companies struggle to define the future of health tracking. While firms like Google aim to integrate AI coaches and preventive health alerts, the technology remains largely focused on basic fitness tracking.
Why it matters
It reflects the broader industry challenge of moving from simple data collection to actionable, AI-driven health insights.
This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.
For the past week, I’ve been testing the Google Pixel Watch 5. In many ways, it’s a typical, modern smartwatch. In others, it feels like one part of a wearable future that’s increasingly in flux. Everyone I’ve spoken to in wearable tech has roughly the same goal — soon, your tracker of choice will feature a helpful AI coach, “check engine” alerts that preventively flag hard-to-detect health conditions, and personalized health recommendations based on your lived experiences and needs.
That’s certainly what’s being pitched. But so far, it seems like most companies don’t know how exactly we’re going to get there.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in