Report: 1.4 billion mobile health, fitness app downloads by 2017

Global annual sensor shipments for mobile sensing health and fitness devices will reach 515 million in 2017, up from 107 million in 2012, according to an announcement from San Diego-based research firm ON World. By 2017, there will be 1.4 billion mobile sensing health and fitness app downloads globally, with health apps increasing the fastest over the next five years. 

The research is based on phone interviews and surveys with 2,000 individuals including consumers, manufacturers, developers, suppliers and government officials. 

In addition, a recent ON World survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers found that nearly four in 10 are interested in purchasing a smart watch and 48 percent are likely to use their smart watch for health or fitness. 

"Advances in low power wireless communications, MEMS and multi-sensor arrays have resulted in viable body area network applications for clinical patient monitoring, assisted care, at-home chronic disease management and general wellness," states Mareca Hatler, ON World's research director, in a written statement. "At the same time, there has been enormous growth for mobile sensing apps for smartphones and tablets."

According to ON World, traditional health products are quickly being replaced with mobile sensing solutions, including wearable and implantable sensors as well as carry-able devices that can be used while the user is mobile.

As proof of the "pace of innovation" in this area, the research firm points to the fact that 60 percent of the mobile sensing products they evaluated were launched in 2012 or later. Cardiac/ECG monitoring represented 22 percent of the health products ON World researched.

In another recent report from ON World, the research firm found that by 2017 more than 18 million health and wellness cloud-connected wireless sensor network (WSN) systems--excluding sports/fitness devices--will be shipped globally with annual revenues exceeding $16 billion. 

To learn more:
- read the announcement