Signal Signal 5: a US$265.4 billion wearable market projection sits beside a record of failed devices

Summary

Deloitte's fifth watch signal asks whether AI-native personal devices and wearables will become mainstream. Companies are experimenting beyond the smartphone with pendants that record and transcribe conversations, smart glasses offering real-time translation and screenless pins controlled by voice. The global wearable technology market is projected to reach US$265.4 billion by 2026, and large technology firms are investing heavily in new form factors. Yet adoption remains deeply uncertain, and the field is littered with failed glasses, pins and other wearable or pocket-sized devices. It is unclear whether consumers want separate AI devices or prefer AI built into the phones and earbuds they already carry. The report says the winning form factor, if one emerges, will depend on addressing privacy concerns and offering enough function to justify carrying another device.