The Cutthroat Wearables Battle Is About More Than Tracking Your Fitness

The year is 2035. You, like most people you know, have a small, button-sized device implanted in your forearm. For a recurring fee, it continuously monitors your blood pressure, core temperature, cardiovascular activity and all other health measures a physician would value. Anything suspicious is promptly flagged to your doctor by a personalized A.I. system. Disease and illness is caught — and treated — as early as possible.

This is the healthmaxxing future that the $44 billion global wearable industry is rapidly manifesting, as a swath of smart watches, smart rings and smart bands offer new takes on tracking health and fitness data.

Since the release of the pioneering Fitbit Tracker in 2009, consumer interest has powered the category. But what has caught the attention of venture capital firms and some of the biggest companies in the world — including Apple, Samsung, and Google (which paid $2.1 billion for Fitbit in 2021) — is a vision that could be even more profitable.

“The end goal is to be part of the medical ecosystem,” said Jitesh Ubrani, an industry analyst with IDC, a technology research company. “It’s a very lucrative market to be in if every hospital and doctor recommends one of these devices.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/business/dealbook/wearables-healthcare.html