#3 AYŞEGÜL İLDENİZ, INTEL
will be a good example of the meeting of technology and fashion. The
Some people think there is now a generation whose personal relations
smart and elegant bracelet MICA, which has brought a fresh impetus to
are weakening and who is growing up in an asocial way by using these
wearable technologies, enables short messages, meeting reminders and
modern technological opportunities; do you worry that wearing tech-
general notifications to reach women’s wrists directly. Additionally, the
nological devices would actually further speed up this situation?
smart bracelet Basis provides a way for people to stay fit, sleep better,
This is one of the questions I get the most when I talk about smart de-
and control stress by counting their steps and monitoring their heart
vices. We have experienced very significant jumps in technology, espe-
rate, sweat level, body temperature, and sleep routine and by collecting
cially within the past ten years. And wearable technologies will be anoth-
these data and evaluating them with mobile and online interface servic-
er turning point that would change our ways of life. I don’t believe that
es. SMS Audio, the world’s first personal sound system that measures
these technologies would make people asocial. I think that they create
heart rate, is also among the wearable technologies that gets attention.
a brand new communication method and a communication culture belonging to them. Smart products and wearable technologies will make
Furthermore, our partnerships with the famous watches and accessories
many things in users’ lives easier and will raise our standards of living.
brand Fossil and one of the world’s biggest glasses producers Oakley, along with our deal with TAG Heauer, which we made in partnership with
Could you give us some insight about how big of a volume the weara-
Google in order to put out on the market a Swiss smart watch, are results
ble technologies market might reach in the coming years?
of our strategy to link technology with fashion. We will continue our work
It is expected that the volume of the wearable technologies market will
of making wearable technologies a part of people’s daily lives and their
reach 45 billion dollars and there will be a total of 300 million products in
styles.
this market by the year 2017. Because people are becoming more mobile each day and life is getting faster for all of us. The advancements and the
You have mentioned that you made deals with brands such as Oakley,
work show us that wearable devices will be everywhere within the next
Tag Heuer, and Fossil. What are the things you give importance to
two or three years.
when you are selecting the brands? When will we be able to see the new products on the market?
When you first started working at Intel, what view did you hold about
Objects we carry on us also identify us, enable us to express ourselves,
the process of technology? When you look back today, what kind of a
and reflect our styles. For this reason, the devices need to be such prod-
difference do you see between the projects you first worked on and
ucts that meet the demands of not only technological needs but also
the ones you do today?
aesthetic expectations, and, also, that are elegant, comfortable, and ap-
Technology is advancing at an amazing pace. When you work at a com-
pealing to the eye. I can say that the products on which we signed deals
pany like Intel that leads this change, you grasp the greatness of this
are also products that would be prominent in this regard. By working
change and the power of technology in a better way. During the 1960’s,
with brands such as Oakley, Tag Heuer and Fossil, which get great inter-
computers were as big as a room. The Centrino technology that Intel de-
est in their lines and actually steer fashion, we will link wearable technol-
veloped in the early 2000’s turned computers into mobile devices. Smart
ogies, which will be an essential part of our lives in the future, with style.
phones have placed computers into our pockets. As the last stage of the
I work in a technology firm but my days go by talking with designers from
computers’ getting small and entering into our lives, one of the trends
different fields and company directors from different sectors about style,
that will mark the coming years will be wearable devices. Wearable de-
design, and fashion, and by discussing how the devices we will put forth
vices are an important revolutionary point that has started a new stage
could be made more elegant and preferrable, in addition to their func-
in the world of technology. At Intel, we are again leading this revolution
tionality.
that will change and improve the lives of the users in a significant way in this world that gets faster each day.
Are any famous brands producing textiles on your radar for wearable devices?
On the other hand, when we look at the technology trends in the world,
Advancement of wearable technologies is a big opportunity also for the
we see that the concept of the ‘Internet of Things’ has begun to impact
fashion sector. Currently, we are talking about smart watches, smart
our lives in many ways. Today, there are nearly eight billion objects that
glasses, smart bracelets, smart snap suits. In the very near future, there
are connected to the internet in the world. This means that the number
will be materials and accessories that would be both smart and valuable
of smart phones has exceeded the number of people in the world. It is
for our health: they would read our body signs and change shape and
estimated that there will be 50 billion smart and inter-connected devices
temperature according to our emotional and physical state, and forward
in the world by the year 2020. And by 2025, the ‘Internet of Things’ will
messages about our health condition to certain channels immediately.
have a turnover of 6.2 trillion dollars. We are running into a world where
Partnerships established with textile producers, fashion giants, and de-
things ranging from ACs to TVs will be connected and in communication
signers will open the way for this market’s growth and product variety.
with things you wear, such as glasses or watches. It would not be wrong
In the years ahead, we expect that all partnerships will continue by in-
to say that Intel, again, leads the market of the ‘Internet of Things’ with
creasing in volume and that many different industries will start work-
the technologies it develops. And I watch these developments with great
ing together because of wearable technologies and that this will make
interest, and as the Vice President of New Devices at Intel, I feel a further
a great impact.
excitement for having the chance to direct these developments.
TurkofAmerica • 37