The wearable devices influence study analyzes the impact of brands and products in the wearable technology market, focusing on smart watches, smart glasses, and health products. It identifies key influencers and media outlets driving discussions, revealing that three outlets have a majority share of influence. The study provides insights that can inform marketing strategies and highlights that Samsung leads in influence, while Apple is also a significant player.

1. Present
Wearable Devices
Influence Study
October 2013
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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2. In this Influence Study
Nike FuelBand or Fitbit? Pebble Smart Watch or Samsung Galaxy Gear? What are influencers saying
about Google Glass seven months after its initial release? Which media outlets are the most
influential in the wearable device space? These are just a few of the themes Appinions explores in
this Wearable Devices Influence Study.
This influence study contains an analysis of the most influential brands, products, media and
executives that are driving conversations about wearable devices. This study also drills down into the
key products associated with wearable devices: smart watches, smart glasses, and health & fitness
products to unveil the key influencers and extract the most resonant opinions on these issues. The
insights provided in this analysis – such as knowing that the majority share of influence on the topic of
wearable devices sits with just three media outlets, or knowing where each brand ranks in influence
compared to competitors and why – yield actionable insights from influencers that can inform and
guide marketing strategies.
This influence study was developed in conjunction with Red Consultancy for the RedTechTalk taking
place in London, England on October 30, 2013.
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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3. Methodology
This influence study is based on 60 days of data taken between August 23 and October 21, 2013. To
evaluate the most influential people, brands and entities, the Appinions data journalism team set up a topic
based on Boolean logic on “wearable devices,” which yielded the key themes explored in this report –
smart watches, smart glasses, health & fitness and personal data & security. Appinions then set up topics
on each of these themes to perform a comprehensive influence analysis on these key industry issues.
About Appinions
Appinions is the only opinion-powered influence marketing platform designed to give companies the
unmatched ability to identify, analyze, engage, monitor and measure influencers. Built on more than a
decade of research conducted at Cornell University, Appinions extracts and aggregates the opinions that
generate the most reaction from more than six million sources including blogs, social networks, forums,
newspapers and magazine articles, thus providing a more complete picture of influence. Appinions helps
today’s businesses insert trust into the purchase journey by converting faceless touchpoints into influential
trust points™ to optimize marketing efforts. For more information on the science of influence marketing,
visit http://www.appinions.com/.
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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4. How Appinions analyzes influence
What is an Influencer?
Appinions defines an influencer as a person, brand or company that expresses a contextually relevant
opinion that is meaningful enough to elicit reactions from others.
How is Influence calculated?
Appinions calculates individual influence scores based on three reaction elements:
•
Influencees: The people or entities who reacted to an influencer’s opinion, weighted by their respective
influence on that topic;
•
Publishing Sources: The credibility of the outlet where the reaction was published or consumed; and
•
Frequency: The volume of opinions attributed to that influencer over the past 60 days.
What is the Net Influence Score (NIS)?
Appinions calculates influence at the topic level, for which a Net Influence Score in generated, to
understand the relative influence of various marketplace issues. The Net Influence Score of a topic
represents the sum of all influencer scores in the topic.
What is the most “Actioned” opinion?
The most “actioned” opinions are those that resonate the most, garner the most reaction and are
published or referenced most frequently across networks or media.
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
4

5. Wearable Devices Overview
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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6. 64% of the influential conversation about wearable
devices center around 3 products.
Some of which haven’t even been announced yet!
Others
(which include):
Intel
Jawbone
Adidas
Broadcom
Qualcomm
Sony SmartWatch
Samsung Galaxy
Gear
24%
28%
3%
3%
Pebble Watch
Nike FuelBand
3%
3%
Fitbit
Apple iWatch
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
22%
14%
Google Glass
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7. The pack has clearly separated.
Second tier players compete by focusing on niche markets (health & fitness)
Net Influence Score
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
Leading
5,000
Lagging
8/23
9/2
9/12
Samsung Galaxy Gear
Nike FuelBand
9/22
Google Glass
Pebble Watch
10/2
10/12
Apple iWatch
Fitbit
Sony SmartWatch
Will single-purpose products (health & fitness) be able to compete with existing
and planned multi-purpose (smart watch) products?
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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8. In the wearable devices market, Samsung leads in
influence while the market speculates about Apple.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Top 10 Companies* on Wearable Devices
Samsung
Google
Apple
Sony
Qualcomm
Intel
Fitbit
Broadcom
Verizon
Microsoft
Top 15 Industry Influencers on Wearable Devices
Tim Cook – CEO, Apple
Younghee Lee – EVP, Samsung Mobile
Brian Krzanich – CEO, Intel
Robert Scoble – Startup Liaison Officer, Rackspace
Eric Migicovsky – Founder, Pebble
Scott McGregor – CEO, Broadcom
Evan Spiegel – CEO, Snapchat
JK Shin – CEO, Samsung IT & Mobile
Jonathan Peachey – CEO, Filip
Pranav Mistry – Director, Research, Samsung America
Yves Béhar – Chief Creative Officer, Jawbone
Michael Bell – VP, New Devices Group, Intel
Rob Chandhok – President, Qualcomm Internet Services
Babak Parviz – Founder, Project Glass, Google
Mark Johnson – CEO, Zite
Key Themes
Smart Watches, Smart Glasses, Health and Fitness, Personal Data,
Cyber Security
*Omits Publishers
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
Most “Actioned” Opinions
Samsung has promised that more than 70 apps will be available for the
Galaxy Gear at launch, including popular favorites such as Evernote,
Glympse, eBay, Pocket, MyFitnessPal, TripIt, Snapchat and RunKeeper.
Influencer: Samsung
Source: Samsung Galaxy Gear launch event
CEO Tim Cook has called the wrist "interesting" and Apple has registered
the trademark iWatch in Japan.
Influencer: Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
Source: Reuters
"We have always believed technology is highly personal, highly
individual," said Yves Behar, the chief creative officer at Jawbone, who
has designed a successful line of customizable gadgets including the Up
wristband and Jambox wireless speakers.
Influencer: Yves Behar, Chief Creative Officer, Jawbone
Source: Reuters
JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile division, predicted the Galaxy Gear -effectively a mobile you wear on your wrist -- would become "a new
fashion icon through the world" as he launched the device at the IFA
consumer electronics fair in Berlin.
Influencer: JK Shin, CEO, Samsung IT and Mobile
Source: AFP
By supporting Wi-Fi Direct, a specification that allows two devices to
communicate with each other securely via Wi-Fi without an access point or
computer, Broadcom is opening the doors to the development of new,
innovative smart accessories, clothing and other wearable sensors.
Influencer: Broadcom
Source: MarketWatch
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9. Influence in the wearable devices market rests in
the hands of very few.
TechCrunch
8%
Mashable
6%
CNET
6%
Samsung
30%
2,103
influencers
Android Authority
2%
21
influencers
represent
78% of the
Net Influence
Bloomberg
4%
represent
22% of the
Net Influence
Wall Street
Journal
2%
Engadget
2%
Apple
14%
MobileSyrup
2%
Qualcomm
2%
Google
12%
Sony
5%
Intel
2%
Rackspace
2%
Pebble
2%
The top 22% of the Net Influence Score is split among
8 media outlets and 8 companies (as shown on the right).
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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10. The top 50 influencers on wearable devices include
33 bloggers from 5 media outlets.
Anthony Ha
Chris Velazco
Darrell Etherington
Eliza Brooke
Frederic Lardinois
Jordan Crook
Matt Burns
Natasha Lomas
Rip Empson
Steve O’Hear
Brad Molen
Daniel Cooper
David Fishman
Jon Fingas
Sharif Sakr
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
Brooke Crothers
Chris Matyszczyk
Dan Farber
Dara Kerr
Don Reisinger
Lance Whitney
Scott Stein
Shara Tibken
Stephen Shankland
Zack Whittaker
Jay Yarow
Marcelo Ballve
Steve Kovach
Pete Pachal
Samantha Murphy Kelly
Todd Wasserman
Vignesh Ramachandran
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11. Key Themes Analysis
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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12. What is the catalyst for mainstream adoption?
Is it form, or function?
Percent change
over 60 Days
Net Influence Score
30,000
Samsung Gear (released on 9/4) drives
interest in smart watches. There is little
renewed interest from Sony’s
SmartWatch 2 (released on 10/14).
25,000
20,000
87%
Are smart glasses slowly losing
relevancy, and can they gain
mainstream appeal?
15,000
10,000
-27%
Interest in health and fitness steadily
increases over time.
5,000
74%
A growing portion of the conversation is about personal data
and cyber security, though it still represents a niche space.
30%
173%
-
8/23
9/2
Smart Watch
9/12
Smart Glasses
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
9/22
Health and Fitness
10/2
Personal Data
10/12
Cyber Security
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13. In the smart watch market, Samsung and Apple,
along with their top execs are leading in influence.
Influence
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
Influence
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Top 5 Companies* on Smart Watches
Samsung
Apple
Sony
Qualcomm
Verizon
Most “Actioned” Opinions
Samsung is now hoping new products such as the Galaxy Gear
smartwatch and a curved smartphone, which it plans to introduce this
month, to help sustain growth momentum.
Influencer: Samsung
Source: Reuters
Top 15 Influencers on Smart Watches
Younghee Lee – EVP, Samsung Mobile
Tim Cook – CEO, Apple
Eric Migicovsky – Founder, Pebble
JK Shin – CEO, Samsung IT and Mobile
Angela McIntyre – Research Director, Gartner
Pranav Mistry – Director, Research, Samsung America
Gene Munster – Managing Director, Piper Jaffray
Neil Mawston – Executive Director, Strategy Analytics
Sarah Rotman Epps – Senior Analyst, Forrester
Wanli Wang – Analyst, CIMB Securities
Avi Greengart – Research Director, Current Analysis
Carolina Milanesi – Research VP, Gartner
Ming Chi Kuo – Analyst, Concord Securities
Jason Jacobs – CEO, RunKeeper
Evan Spiegel – CEO, Snapchat
Key Themes
Samsung, iWatch, Sony, IFA, AT&T, T-Mobile, Flexible Display, App
Sony promises up to four days of battery life with normal usage, which is
roughly four times that of the Galaxy Gear.
Influencer: Sony
Source: The Age
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Gartner, called it "brilliance" on Apple's
part, in that it gives them potential exposure to the wearable-devices
market without having to actually design and rush out a gadget of their
own like a smartwatch.
Influencer: Carolina Milanesi, Analyst, Gartner
Source: Reuters
But the wearable space is still extremely young, and Apple has to worry
about both delivering a polished solution and convincing the masses that
these devices are as necessary as laptops or smartphones.
Influencer: Apple
Source: CNN Money
Fitbit Force is the first and only in its category to be able to capture and
display all of these stats on your wrist, as well as wirelessly and
automatically sync them to leading Apple & Android smartphones and
your computer, helping you push further to achieve your fitness goals.
Influencer: Fitbit
Source: Engadget
*Omits Publishers
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
13

14. Google Glass is the leading product in the smart
glasses category, but other execs are skeptical.
Influence
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
Influence
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Top 5 Companies* on Smart Glasses
Google
Apple
Samsung
Intel
Motorola
Most “Actioned” Opinions
Smartphones, tablets and Google Glass will be able to co-exist, but
ultimately the cutting-edge technology will take over.
Influencer: Babak Parviz, Founder, Project Glass, Google
Source: IDG
Top 15 Influencers on Smart Glasses
Thad Starner – Technical Manager, Project Glass, Google
Tim Cook – CEO, Apple
Evan Spiegel – CEO, Snapchat
Babak Parviz – Founder, Project Glass, Google
Mark Johnson – CEO, Zite
Catalin Voss – Co-founder, Sension
Sergey Brin – Co-founder, Google
Nicholas Woodman – CEO, GoPro
Brian Krzanich – CEO, Intel
Vint Cerf – Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
George Takei – Actor
Jennifer Darmour – Design Director, Artefact
Carol Rosenberg – Reporter, Miami Herald (Google Glass User)
Amanda Rosenberg – Marketing Manager, Project Glass, Google
Michael Bell – VP, New Devices Group, Intel
Key Themes
Google Glass, Recon, Siri, Headset, Guantanamo
Key to this [more personal relationship with a wearable computing
device] is the interface, says Thad Starner, Professor of Computing at
Georgia Institute of Technology, whose pioneering work with wearable
computers led to him be a technical lead for Google Glass.
Influencer: Thad Starner, Technical Manager, Project Glass, Google
Source: Reuters
Google Glass, I'm not a huge fan of that.
Influencer: Anand Chandrasekher, SVP & CMO, Qualcomm
Source: ComputerWorld
Spiegel said the company had no plans to develop for Google Glass and
dismissed the technology as invasive, saying, "You kind of feel like
you have a gun pointed at you."
Influencer: Evan Spiegel, CEO, Snapchat
Source: CNN
As Tim Cook put it when discussing Google Glass at this year’s D
Conference, it’s hard to get people to wear something they don’t
have to.
Influencer: Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
Source: Business Insider
*Omits Publishers
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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15. In the health & fitness devices category,
“Go Niche and Social or Go Home.”
Influence
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
Influence
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Top 5 Companies* on Health & Fitness
Apple
Samsung
Fitbit
Broadcom
Sony
Most “Actioned” Opinions
Fitbit Force is the first and only in its category to be able to capture and
display all of these stats on your wrist, as well as wirelessly and
automatically sync them to leading Apple & Android smartphones and
your computer, helping you push further to achieve your fitness goals.
Influencer: Fitbit
Source: Engadget
Top 15 Influencers on Health & Fitness
Tim Cook – CEO, Apple
Scott McGregor – CEO, Broadcom
Vinod Khosla – Veteran venture capitalist
Shyam Gollakota – CSE Professor, Uni. of Washington
Yasuhiro Ueda – SVP, Sony
Quinn Li – Managing Director, Qualcomm Ventures
Sarah Rotman – Senior Analyst, Forrester
Jason Jacobs – CEO, RunKeeper
Mike Lee – Co-Founder, MyFitnessPal
Brian Krzanich – CEO, Intel
James Park – CEO, Fitbit
Matt Miesnieks – CEO, Dekko
Craig Elimeliah – VP, RAPP
Amy McDonough – Director, Fitbit
Monisha Perkash – Co-founder & CEO, LUMO BodyTech
Key Themes
FuelBand, Fitbit Force, iWatch, Adidas, Fitness
By supporting Wi-Fi Direct, a specification that allows two devices to
communicate with each other securely via Wi-Fi without an access point
or computer, Broadcom is opening the doors to the development of new,
innovative smart accessories, clothing and other wearable sensors.
Influencer: Broadcom
Source: MarketWatch
There will be new connectivity technologies, more powerful devices,
sensor integration and the integration for wearables.
Influencer: Scott McGregor, CEO, Broadcom
Source: Reuters
The idea of wearable technology, having your active life recorded in one
place, "didn't make sense to the people doing the work.”
Influencer: Christopher Davis, Engineering Director, Nike
Source: Computerworld
Our customers come first, and we are consistently looking at new ways to
enhance their experience and keep them motivated.
Influencer: Amy McDonough, Director, Fitbit Wellness
Source: Reuters
*Omits Publishers
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
15

16. Privacy and security issues around data from
wearable devices are real and potentially deadly.
Influencers are emerging but haven’t yet gained momentum
Influential Opinions
International privacy regulators have asked Google for more information on privacy issues that may be raised by its Glass headset, and requests that
Google engage in a “real dialogue” about the product.
Influencer: Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner, Canada
Source: Washington Post
Wearable computing enables a data-driven approach to managing healthcare and fitness.
Influencer: Arvind Sodhani, President, Intel Capital
Source: VentureBeat
The chip was touted as Apple's answer to activity-tracking apps that want a more powerful data-collector without forcing users to go out and buy a
Nike FuelBand or Fitbit.
Influencer: Nick Statt, Writer, CNET
Source: CNET
Cheney and one of his doctor's revealed for the first time that the Vice President's pacemaker had its wireless feature disabled in 2007, “fearing a
terrorist could assassinate the vice president by sending a signal to the device.”
Influencer: Dick Chaney, Former Vice President, United States
Source: 60 Minutes
Future computing devices will be able to understand human behavior through data gathered by embedded sensors and other wearable technology.
Influencer: Genevieve Bell, Director, Intel Labs
Source: Keynote at the Intel Developer Forum
Gérald Santucci argues that technology advances, including the advent of wearable technology and the combination of inexpensive, remote sensors
and Big Data analytics threaten to undermine long-held notions like personal privacy and the rights of individuals.
Influencer: Gérald Santucci, Head of European Commission’s Knowledge Sharing Unit
Source: The Security Ledger
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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17. Contact Us!
To learn more about Appinions and our modular approach
to influence marketing, contact us at
info@appinions.com or +1 646-532-3062.
Web: www.appinions.com
Twitter: @appinions
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/appinions
Copyright © 2013 Appinions. All rights reserved.
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