Is it technology limitations or are wearables not as disruptive as we might think?

One in six Americans  own a piece of wearable technology, while more than half say they are interested in purchasing one. But wearables simply don’t have the same staying power as other disruptive technologies, like, say, smartphones, according to a new report in the Guardian.

According to research from Endeavour Partners, one-third of Americans who own a wearable device stop using it within the first six months. What’s more, half of American adults who own fitness trackers specifically–like the FuelBand and Jawbone–have already stopped using those, too.

Of course, that might speak more to the technology’s current limitations. Right now, fitness trackers can’t do much more than approximate how many miles you walked, or tell you how many calories you burned swinging a tennis racket. And battery life still isn’t in a place where we can completely quantify our weekly habits without needing to plug the damn thing in. When we slap on a wearable, we remain conscious of its presence, and that is a problem.

It’s too early to conclude if the technology will ever become pervasive enough for some to care about. After all, we have yet to truly experience what the Googles and Apples of the world are capable of.

Photo credit: re/code

Via Fast Company