Fitbit, Apple Watch trigger 118% surge in wearable tech sales

New data reveals that the arrival of Fitbit, Apple Watch and other health trackers sparked a 118% rise in sales of wearable tech, with three million of the gadgets sold in the UK last year; one in seven people now own wearable technology and fitness bands amounting to 63% of wrist-worn devices sold in 2015. 

The arrival of the Fitbit, Apple Watch and other health trackers has triggered a 118 per cent surge in sales of wearable tech, say experts.

Three million of the gadgets were sold to Britons last year, according to retail analysts Mintel.

One in seven people now owns wearable technology, with 63 per cent of wrist-worn devices sold last year being fitness bands. This rises to one in five of younger people aged 16-34.

Manufacturers are presenting the bands, which combine sensors and tracking devices, as the key to a healthy lifestyle.

Gadgets: One in seven people now owns wearable technology, with 63 per cent of wrist-worn devices sold last year being fitness bands. Pictured, an Apple Watch

Devices like the Apple Watch, which has an eye-watering starting price of £299, the Fitbit and the Microsoft Band can measure the pulse, steps and calories burned during the day.

There are also specialist functions that track work-outs, whether that involves a weight session, a jog or a daily commute by bicycle.

In the future, health information collected by the devices will even be transmitted to doctors.

The smartwatches and bands connect to smartphones, highlighting the arrival of calls, emails and texts.

Products like the Apple Watch also allow wearers to pay for items by waving their wrist over a till terminal, open an electric door and pass through airport security.

They can also respond to voice commands, and Volvo has recently announced a partnership with Microsoft to smooth the business of driving.

Speaking instructions into the Microsoft Band on the wrist will set the navigation, start the heater, lock the doors, flash the lights or sound the horn.

In the future, people will be able to summon self-driving cars to pick them up.

Fitness aid: Manufacturers are presenting the bands, which combine sensors and tracking devices, as the key to a healthy lifestyle. Pictured, file image of joggers in Hyde Park

Many of the devices include GPS satellite tracking that can plot the route the user has taken on a run or cycle ride, confirming the distance and time taken.

But while millions of people are prepared to spend hundreds of pounds on these devices, others have privacy and security concerns.

One in 10 say they plan to buy or upgrade to a new fitness band within the next 12 months and another 8 per cent say the same of smartwatches.

However, three in five consumers say they would worry about the security of their personal data if it was stored on a wearable device.

The accuracy of the health monitors has also been called into question.

It emerged this month that several Fitbit owners in the U.S. are suing the company because the devices underestimated their heart rates during workouts. One claimant said her Fitbit recorded a rate of 82bpm, when it was in fact at 160bpm.