CES 2015: Qualcomm admits wearables market still in its infancy

Qualcomm president Derek Aberle says firms still trying to find the wearable 'sweet spot'

LAS VEGAS: Qualcomm believes the wearables market is still in a period of 'self-discovery' as companies try to work out the best combination of features and form factors to appeal to buyers.

Speaking at CES in Las Vegas on Monday, Qualcomm president Derek Aberle said he expects to see a diverse choice in wearables over the coming years as developers experiment to find the market's "sweet spot".

"There's not going to be one right choice for wearables," said Aberle. "I think in th next few years we'll see it consolidating, but it will take trial and error before we get there."

Aberle said health-related wearables will see particularly strong growth, and predicted an explosion in number of medical apps over the coming years.

Qualcomm currently powers more than 15 different wearable devices for sale in over 30 countries, but believes that it's "early days" for wearable tech.

Aberle said Qualcomm will use what it has learned producing chips for mobile devices to bolster its position in the wearables market.

"[The wearable market] is very connected to smartphones, so this allows us to leverage our position in the smartphone space so we'll have to see how we go forward in the future," added Aberle.

During CES, Qualcomm announced it will be working with car manufacturers Maserati and Cadillac to develop new connected car applications based on its technologies.

The company also revealed that its Qualcomm Atheros subsidiary is working with smart lighting firm LIFX on a WiFi-based smart lighting platform.

Joseph Bousaba, senior director of product management at Qualcomm Atheros, said: "Alongside LIFX, we are eliminating barriers for the WiFi-based smart lighting segment, while extending compelling experiences offered by the Internet of Everything."