How smartwatches could go from luxury accessory to ubiquitous necessity

Mashable's series Tech in 2025 explores how the challenges of today will dramatically change the near future. 

Over the past five years, smartwatches have gone from a futuristic novelty to a flashy product on the roster of nearly every major phone maker as well as other tech and fashion companies. But what do the next five years look like for smartwatches?

Plenty of people own and wear smartwatches. A January 2020 Pew Research study found that one in five adult Americans use a smartwatch or fitness tracker. Revenue for smartwatches globally grew 20% from 2019 to 2020, and the market is expected to increase 14.5% between 2019 and 2024. Despite the high price tags of its watches, Apple is leading the pack, grabbing half of all smartwatch revenue. That was before the company launched the impressive but expensive Apple Watch Series 6  ($399 — $799), and the more affordable $279 Apple Watch SE on Tuesday (Although $279 isn’t exactly pocket change...). Read more...