The head of Canalys used the global channel research body's APAC conference to discuss emerging technologies and the new opportunities they will present to channel partners.
Steve Brazier, president and chief executive of Canalys, opened the organisation's two-day conference in Thailand with a wide-ranging, state-of-the-nation keynote.
One of the brightest opportunities will be in wearable technology – or "app-cessories" – which are tipped to explode in next two years.
However, the early experiments will not necessarily be the greatest success stories.
"You are right to think Google Glass may not gain traction – too nerdy," he said. "Also smart watches; watches are a personal fashion statement.
"But there are areas where wearable computing will be an absolute certain hit. The biggest area of app-cessories is around health and fitness."
He outlined two more "cast-iron certainties of success".
"Next year, a start-up company will launch a wearable device for babies. It will tell you their heart rate, the temperature, whether they are asleep, whether they are crying. It will be controlled by a smartphone.
"You can expect that middle-class families will rush toward wearable technology on babies. It will be a surefire hit."
The other, more risqué example, will come from condom maker Durex.
"Next year Durex will launch a new product line called 'Funderwear'. It is an app-cessory… vibrating underwear. You control it from an app."
[Related: Microsoft working on wearable tech]
But despite any consumers successes, this weird and wonderful kit will not spell the major opportunities for the channel, added Brazier.
"How does the channel benefit from this launch in wearable and app-cessories? We're not sure, because it will be largely consumer-led. But what the arrival of app-cessories will create is masses of data. It will need to be stored and managed. We will see an explosion around analytics and big data."
He added that for big data solutions to be successful, the channel would have to become much smarter at rolling them out.
But there are also beacons of hope in hardware, according to Brazier, especially in 3D printing.
"The hardware industry does have a future. It is in 3D printing. Microsoft has included support for 3D printing in Windows 8.1.
"I predict one person will leave this conference, go into 3D printing and make a million dollars by becoming the expert in your region."
He claimed that the best launches on Kickstarter were around 3D printing, adding that 3D printing was "a beautiful model for the channel."
"You can sell the printer, service the printer, integrate the printer, sell the consumables."
The Bangkok event is the second-ever APAC event and follows on the heels of the Canalys Channels Forum EMEA, which ran from 1 to 3 October 2013 in Barcelona.
Steven Kiernan is a guest of Canalys in Bangkok.
[LinkedIn: What kind of wearable technology will be successful?]
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