Microsoft Enters the Wearable Technology Product

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Microsoft has unveiled its latest product, the Microsoft Band, in the efforts to keep up with the emergence of the wearable technology market. Unlike some of its competitors, like the Apple Watch, the Microsoft Band has a stronger focus on health. It includes a GPS tracking features (for runners) in addition to the sensors that measure sleep quality, calories burned and heart rate, which can then be analyzed its online health service, Microsoft Health. But it doesn't just hone in on the health aspects; the Microsoft Band features a small display that can show text messages (from a connected smartphone) and Facebook alerts.

While I think there could certainly be a formidable future within the market of wearable technology, I just don't find much of an interest in products such as these. While the Microsoft Band will cost $150 less than the Apple Watch ($199 vs. $349), I just don't buy into the hype over wearable technology. And neither do quite a large number of people, either; PricewaterhouseCoopers found that, in a survey, one-thirds of respondents said that they no longer use or rarely use the wearable product they had bought earlier in the year. For me, the smartphone just trumps wearable technology on both functionality and convenience.