Online retailer Amazon appears poised for a further push into the wearable technology sector, with the company poised to increase investment and staff at its secretive hardware operations unit Lab126.
Reuters recently revealed details from what it calls “a little known government document” showing that the retailer is looking to increase hiring by 27 per cent by adding close to 4,000 people to their Silicon Valley-based division in the next five years, with US$55m (€43.6m, £33.9m) in funding going into the lab.
Earlier this year Amazon opened its own dedicated online store to wearables, with the UK's wearable technology shopfront offering a wide range of wearable devices, including activity trackers, smart watches, smart glasses and wearable cameras.
The site also features dedicated sections for videos to educate people on the benefits of the tech, while a section premieres coming-soon products so customers can stay ahead of the growing wearable curve.
The site's educational section provides information on products and data on compatibility, which are combined with reviews and in-depth buying guides to aid customers with their purchases. These are also supplemented with advice provided by experts.
Also included are rankings of the most popular fitness brands being purchased from the site, giving consumers access to some of the sector's most talked about devices, as well as those just being introduced to the market. Brands on offer range from Sony and Samsung through to Jawbone and Misfit.
The move from Amazon comes as it prepares to go head-to-head with a number of towering tech giants, with Apple, Google and Samsung also increasing their focus on the wearable market.
Not only have Apple and Google launched devices for themselves, they have also made moves to launch platforms to increase the functionality of the tech and make it more effectively implementable into people’s lives.
Elsewhere, sports producers have also sought to push on in the growing market, with Nike dedicating time and finances to its own research and development lab in San Francisco.
