Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Asustek Computer Inc. said Tuesday that its first wearable device is likely to take the form of a watch, jumping onto a bandwagon already occupied by Sony Corp.'s SmartWatch and Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Gear.

"We will put our entire design thought into it," Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih said at the Taiwanese PC maker's year-end party when asked by reporters about the company's development of wearable devices.

"There are actually many challenges in this area, and I don't think products that lack special features will be useful. We'll try to replace your watch by all means," Shih said, noting that Asustek's new wearable device should be available for consumers in 2014.

The Taipei-based company told investors last Nov. 13 that it plans to launch wearable devices at the Computex Taipei trade fair in June, to cash in on the latest trend in mobile devices.

An insider of Acer Inc. also told CNA recently that the Taiwanese computer maker is planning a "distinctive" wearable device coming in the second half of this year that will stand out from the competition, including an option for a necklace-style device.

The wearable device market could reach US$20.6 billion by 2018 on worldwide shipments of 191 million units, according to estimates by Taiwan's Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center.

(By Jeffrey Wu)
ENDITEM/J