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It ’ s been a bumper year for wearables . Q1 of 2021 was the first quarter where shipments exceeded 100mn units … it ’ s a shame … A shame ? Yeah . Wearables have been struggling to really take off for over a decade now , and it looks like that it ’ s finally happening .

But if it has to be at the expense of all the weird , wacky , wonderful design decisions that make wearables exciting , yes . Smart watches ? Snore …

Remember the Power Glove ?! And that Xybernaut Poma wearable PC from 2002 that made you look like you ’ d joined the Borg ?! Wearable tech - from the 80s to 2010 was almost universally bonkers- … and bad , right ? Right . But there was a real spirit of experimentation to the whole thing that feels missing from almost all modern wearable tech . I feel like the industry found success at the cost of its soul . So what do you want ? I want Jitesh Ubrani , a research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers , who says that " Wearable patches , rings , and even audio glasses are starting to differentiate themselves from the typical watches , bands , and headphones by offering tech that is hidden yet functional ,” to be right on the money . And I also want a Power Glove .

� SCREEN TIME Anthropologists at University College London say our relationships with our phones have gotten even more symbiotic during the pandemic . “ We are always ‘ at home ’ in our smartphone ,” found the report . “ We have become human snails carrying our home in our pockets .”

� 5G PHONE SHIPMENTS Research from IDC predicts that smartphone shipments will hit a six-year high of 1.38bn units by the end of 2021 , largely driven by an uptick in consumer demand for a 5G device .

� US 5G SPEEDS All of the US ’ major mobile network operators have been offering nationwide 5G for over a year now , but some industry analysts say that service is largely indistinguishable from 4G .

� WIFI USAGE A new report from Ericsson of over 220mn 5G subscribers found that 20 % of people with 5G subscriptions have decreased the amount of time they spend on WiFi at home and outside , thanks to the speed and latency that 5G offers .

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