Smartwatches promise all kinds of quality-of-life improvements, but don't get too hung up on them

There's a gap between what wearable tech offers and what the devices actually do.

- James Gilmore

Smartwatches and other wearable devices can feel almost magical. Strap on a Fitbit, Apple Watch or Samsung Gear and you're suddenly presented with a stream of data generated by and about — your body: step counts, heart rate, blood oxygen level, calories burned and more.

Wearables offer tools that help people monitor and understand their bodies and, so the promise goes, improve their lives. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has even said the technology company aspires to save your life.

As a professor who studies technology, I've spent the past decade researching smartwatches and other wearables. My new book Bringers Of Order: Wearable Technologies And The Manufacturing Of Everyday Life considers the gap between what these products promise and what they actually do.

Wearables rely on complicated sets of sensors and computer systems to create data for each user. As these devices become more common — and more complex — I worry that people may be tempted to think less about how they work. As a result, they might accept data at face value without considering how it was generated, whether it's accurate, or even if it could put them at risk.

So to get the maximum value from wearable technologies, it's worth reflecting on the differences between what these devices seem to do and what's actually happening behind the screen. Here are a few key points to remember.