The Inevitable Rise of Wearable Tech

The growing push toward a future filled with multiple wearable devices is becoming impossible to ignore. Major technology firms are aggressively expanding their ecosystems, urging consumers to adopt smart glasses, rings, watches, and even AI-powered accessories all at once. This isn’t just about upgrading your tech; it’s about covering your body in a constellation of gadgets that demand constant attention.

During a recent product test, a simple unboxing turned into a logistical puzzle. To operate a pair of smart glasses, a separate neural band had to be worn on the dominant wrist. That wrist was already occupied by a smartwatch, creating an immediate compatibility concern. Fortunately, the two devices cooperated, but a smart ring on another finger did not, interfering with basic gestures and forcing a last-minute switch. It was a comical but telling moment.

Later that same day, an avalanche of pitches from wearable companies flooded the inbox. The volume of new devices proposed for review in 2025 has been unprecedented. The physical limitation is stark: there are only two wrists, ten fingers, two ears, and a handful of other body parts available to host an endless stream of gadgets marketed for constant, year-round use.

For years, this could be dismissed as a niche professional hazard. Recently, however, a troubling realization has set in: Big Tech appears to want everyone to live this way. The initial unease surfaced while testing a popular smart ring last year. It became clear the device wasn’t designed as a standalone product but as a companion to a smartwatch from the same brand, a strategy meant to pull users deeper into a specific ecosystem. When explaining to friends and colleagues that such a ring works best alongside a watch, not as a replacement, the disappointment was palpable. People want comfort and battery life, but they aren’t ready to sacrifice notifications or haptic alerts.

Now, a fresh wave of AI hardware complicates the landscape further. One notorious AI pin was worn on a lapel but couldn’t function as a primary device. Testing another AI wearable required choosing whether it would claim valuable wrist space or be pinned to the neck, a body part relatively untouched by wearables, at least for now. The overarching strategy is transparent: in the quest for what succeeds the smartphone, tech giants have decided their products should live on our bodies, and eventually, inside them.

This isn’t mere speculation. Conversations with executives from leading tech companies confirm the direction. Google’s product leads have openly discussed a future built on “a diverse set of accessories” enhanced with artificial intelligence, noting that smartwatches and headphones are appealing because people already use them. The head of another tech giant has publicly mused about converting the billions of people who wear prescription glasses into users of AI-enhanced spectacles within several years. Another major player is famously dedicated to creating a seamless, all-encompassing product ecosystem where buying more devices enhances the experience.

Combine these moves with new ventures from other industry leaders, and a compelling picture emerges: the most powerful companies in tech are collectively working to cover us in as many connected gadgets as possible. The idea of a single, streamlined wearable is appealing but impractical because human bodies and needs vary too much. You wouldn’t sleep in smart glasses, a smart ring isn’t suited for weightlifting, and some find smartwatches perpetually uncomfortable.

Call it cynical, but it’s easy to foresee a future where companies pay lip service to consumer choice while simultaneously creating a fear of missing out for those who don’t buy into the entire suite of products. This push isn’t confined to the private sector, either. High-level government discussions have included goals of placing a health wearable on every citizen within a few years. Layer that objective onto the commercial drive for rings, glasses, and watches, and you have a recipe for a universally gadget-laden existence.

This may seem like a personal problem for a tech reviewer, but if current trends continue, it will soon be a universal one. A recent listener question for a tech podcast highlighted the issue perfectly: should someone start using two different smartwatches to perfectly track both running and strength training? The instinctive answer was a firm no.

The tolerance for managing multiple devices may be high, but the experience remains draining. It involves permanent watch tan lines, being nagged by an AI necklace, and dedicating significant time each day to reviewing data from various sensors. Eyes strain from peering at poorly positioned smart glass displays. Wearing a continuous glucose monitor can lead to obsessive monitoring of every bite of food. Notifications arrive from all directions, creating a cacophony of haptic buzzes for the most trivial alerts. Scheduled “detox” days are necessary to maintain control over the technology, rather than letting it control you.

If the ultimate goal of this technological march is to improve our quality of life, then a serious conversation is needed. Are the problems these devices aim to solve actually problems people face, or are they invented to sell more hardware? From the perspective of someone living with a maximalist wearable setup, the result is exhaustion, a scarcity of free body parts, and a growing sensation of being more machine than human. If we charge blindly into a future where everyone feels this way, we risk forgetting the very reason we embraced technology in the first place: to make life simpler and more enjoyable, not more complicated.

(Source: The Verge)