10% of Consumers 'Very Likely' to Buy a Smartwatch in 2015, Suggesting 24M Apple Watches

[JeffyTheQuik]

Fair enough. Your first post directed at me sounded like you said it was here or will be here in the near future. Thats the problem by the time these things are available the watch will probably be a dead item. Tech isnt there yet.

The other thing is to have your suggested ideas the watch would cost thousands.

All is good my friend

I would certainly be interested in a CGM that would cost $350, once. Meanwhile, in my world, blood testing strips are $0.80/ea (and I use 6-8/day), CGM sensor heads are $30/ea, and last a week, plus $800 for the transmitter and sensor electronics.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Yep. The survey said that 'X' number of people were interested in A smart watch. The article seemed to imply this meant APPLE watch.

No, the article went on to breakdown how many people were interested in Apple's Watch vs other watches before arriving at the conclusion that Apple would sell 23 M watches in 2015.

I still think it's BS. I haven't found a single person in real life who is interested in buying an Apple Watch, and they all have iPhones and Macs and watched the keynote where the Apple Watch was revealed.

 

[paul4339]

I'm holding out for the Magic Apple Ring.

The Apple Ring isn't an actual device, it's merely the code name for the new Apple campus 2 that they are building...

It's the one ring that will rule all the Apple devices and enslave everyone into iTunes!

 

[thirteen1031]

I'll eat my own mustache if 24M Apple Watches are sold next year

If they do, I'm coming back to you and asking for the video.

 

[Armen]

Consumer response to Apple products:

iPhone

Before: "I don't need a smartphone, I just make calls and sometimes text people".
After: "omg I love my iphone! I don't know how I got by without it".

iPad

Before: "Haha it's just an oversized iPhone. Why would I want that?"
After: "I love my iPad and use it every day"

Apple Watch
Before: - "I don't want some geeky bulky tech watch. I'd have to charge it every day? Who would buy this thing? It's so expensive?"
After: (Stay tuned for customer praise in 2015)

 

[Xiroteus]

Consumer response to Apple products:

iPhone

Before: "I don't need a smartphone, I just make calls and sometimes text people".
After: "omg I love my iphone! I don't know how I got by without it".

iPad

Before: "Haha it's just an oversized iPhone. Why would I want that?"
After: "I love my iPad and use it every day"

Apple Watch
Before: - "I don't want some geeky bulky tech watch. I'd have to charge it every day? Who would buy this thing? It's so expensive?"
After: (Stay tuned for customer praise in 2015)

I kind of thought that. Well, it was more, "my life really does not require a smartphone yet" not that I did not want one at some point. However, 2009 let me know how insanely useful of a tool it was.

First iPad annoyed me, too limited, from then on it got better.

There will be people that thought a smartwatch would be silly until they use it. So many people don't use a watch now days because it's boring, it's just a watch however if it does a lot more people may care again.

 

[djdj]

Yep. Probably only about 10% of consumers will think it's worth it. So you and the article are in total agreement.

No, 10% of smart watch buyers may be in agreement. Not 10% of consumers.

 

[iLLUMI]

I'm also among the 90 percent. I have no interest in wearing an ugly tech watch.

And it's old or backward tech at that.

I'm really impressed by the Samsung Gear Solo. Considering I don't wear watches, mainly because I don't need one, I may actually consider buying one just for the heck of it, because the phone is built into it and it has a portable battery pack which will be much needed considering it has poor battery life. It's a completely new reason to wear a watch too. Wearable tech. I like that idea. It looks cool too.
Now this watch is something I'm excited about. The Apple Watch I wish I could be excited about but it's just too bizarre.

 

[iLLUMI]

Consumer response to Apple products:

Apple Watch
Before: - "I don't want some geeky bulky tech watch. I'd have to charge it every day? Who would buy this thing? It's so expensive?"
After: (Stay tuned for customer praise in 2015)

I agree with the iPhone and iPad comments, but as far as the watch is concerned, being a first generation device it has much room for improvement, similar to the first iPhone. But the real point I want to make is that as far as smart watches go there are better options out there that tick all the boxes that Apple watch doesn't.
So I think a fairer comment would be "stay tuned for .... 2016"?
The first generation watch kinda looks very much like a "prototype" than a finished, polished, 21st century product.

 

[Keirasplace]

And it's old or backward tech at that.

I'm really impressed by the Samsung Gear Solo. Considering I don't wear watches, mainly because I don't need one, I may actually consider buying one just for the heck of it, because the phone is built into it and it has a portable battery pack which will be much needed considering it has poor battery life. It's a completely new reason to wear a watch too. Wearable tech. I like that idea. It looks cool too.
Now this watch is something I'm excited about. The Apple Watch I wish I could be excited about but it's just too bizarre.

The gear crap is almost 80% bigger than the smallest watch? And you think that's fine... OK then... Wear it with your Google glasses with the battery around your neck.

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No, the article went on to breakdown how many people were interested in Apple's Watch vs other watches before arriving at the conclusion that Apple would sell 23 M watches in 2015.

I still think it's BS. I haven't found a single person in real life who is interested in buying an Apple Watch, and they all have iPhones and Macs and watched the keynote where the Apple Watch was revealed.

Because your unscientific anecdote actually trumps EVERYTHING. BTW, most people asked about any new product don't think they want it....

Those kind of survey usually try to explain what the product is, what it does, before asking them if they think they'd want it. Otherwise, you would just get a blank stare except for the few people that keep on top of things.

 

[DoctorTech]

I'm in the 10%

I have not worn a watch in years but I currently wear a Fitbit. I am looking forward to the Apple watch for several reasons including the ability to read text messages on my wrist and to see who is calling before pulling my phone out of my pocket (I usually keep my phone on silent so I can't rely on custom ringtones).

I think it is an attractive watch and while I am sure Apple is already hard at work on the 2nd and 3rd generation of the watch (with more sensors and capabilities) I will be one of the early adopters for the first Apple Watch.

 

[Bane-Thunder]

Consumer response to Apple products:

iPhone

Before: "I don't need a smartphone, I just make calls and sometimes text people".
After: "omg I love my iphone! I don't know how I got by without it".

iPad

Before: "Haha it's just an oversized iPhone. Why would I want that?"
After: "I love my iPad and use it every day"

Apple Watch
Before: - "I don't want some geeky bulky tech watch. I'd have to charge it every day? Who would buy this thing? It's so expensive?"
After: (Stay tuned for customer praise in 2015)

Regarding iPhone, I was never one of those people, I loved tech from young so I had smartphones before the iPhone arrived, namely the Sony Ericsson P900 & P910i and the Windows Vario. I remember being in the cinema the day the iPhone was advertised on the big screen I instantly fell in love with it and wanted it in my life.

iPad, yeah I was one of those that didnt see a use for one as I had my PC at home and would use my iPhone on train journeys to work etc. It was only recently when I realised how often I'd lay on my bed on my phone wishing I had a a bigger device than my phone and as I didnt want a laptop, in came the iPad air last Dec which was my first ever iPad and will remain my only iPad til it gets old and slow which I don't forsee for years to come.

The Smart watch is a different thing altogether, I don't see how it will fill any slot in my life which isnt occupied by my phone or my ipad. I already dont even use a watch so why would I add a smart watch which also needs to be charged daily alongside my phone which has Better functionality than the watch. I'm sorry but I don't see why I would need a smart watch at all let alone in future.

I used to watch the Inspector gadget cartoon and I remember the little girl 'Penny' had a cool watch which i used to be envious of as a kid. But I don't see the need to have one these days when my phone does it all.

Even if the watch was £30, i'd be hard pressed to want to spend that on what feels like a burden to me, a watch that needs to be charged daily and wouldn't be used when my phone is right there to be used.

 

[Armen]

Regarding iPhone, I was never one of those people, I loved tech from young so I had smartphones before the iPhone arrived, namely the Sony Ericsson P900 & P910i and the Windows Vario. I remember being in the cinema the day the iPhone was advertised on the big screen I instantly fell in love with it and wanted it in my life.

iPad, yeah I was one of those that didnt see a use for one as I had my PC at home and would use my iPhone on train journeys to work etc. It was only recently when I realised how often I'd lay on my bed on my phone wishing I had a a bigger device than my phone and as I didnt want a laptop, in came the iPad air last Dec which was my first ever iPad and will remain my only iPad til it gets old and slow which I don't forsee for years to come.

The Smart watch is a different thing altogether, I don't see how it will fill any slot in my life which isnt occupied by my phone or my ipad. I already dont even use a watch so why would I add a smart watch which also needs to be charged daily alongside my phone which has Better functionality than the watch. I'm sorry but I don't see why I would need a smart watch at all let alone in future.

I used to watch the Inspector gadget cartoon and I remember the little girl 'Penny' had a cool watch which i used to be envious of as a kid. But I don't see the need to have one these days when my phone does it all.

Even if the watch was £30, i'd be hard pressed to want to spend that on what feels like a burden to me, a watch that needs to be charged daily and wouldn't be used when my phone is right there to be used.

Here's the thing. People reach for their phones at least 2-5 times a minute to check and see if they missed any notifications/alerts. There was a study done on this.

Having a wearable device on your person that could relay that information to you without needing to reach into your pocket I think would let people focus more on other things that they are doing and not constantly be distracted by reaching into their pockets hoping not to miss that "big thing".

 

[Shivetya]

You didn't know that until you read this article?

I prefer to be unique, just like everyone else!

 

[AppleScruff1]

Here's the thing. People reach for their phones at least 2-5 times a minute to check and see if they missed any notifications/alerts. There was a study done on this.

Having a wearable device on your person that could relay that information to you without needing to reach into your pocket I think would let people focus more on other things that they are doing and not constantly be distracted by reaching into their pockets hoping not to miss that "big thing".

Wouldn't it be even better to have an in ear device so the info could be relayed to you without looking at anything? Siri could read your latest Facebook post to you and you wouldn't look rude like you do when looking at your watch evey 10 seconds while talking to someone. Or better yet, an Apple brain implant so all information was sent directly to your mind.

 

[Armen]

Wouldn't it be even better to have an in ear device so the info could be relayed to you without looking at anything? Siri could read your latest Facebook post to you and you wouldn't look rude like you do when looking at your watch evey 10 seconds while talking to someone. Or better yet, an Apple brain implant so all information was sent directly to your mind.

an ear piece that can also measure your heart rate? Sure, count me in.

 

[kdarling]

I'll eat my own mustache if 24M Apple Watches are sold next year, (assuming Apple doesn't have some major new features / killer apps that they didn't already show off.)

Who knows. They might sell that many just because they're Apple.

However, if the battery life doesn't improve a lot, I'll be surprised if half of those don't end up on Craigslist and eBay, after their owners give up charging them all the time.

OTOH, I'll be the first to admit that this could simply be my own bias against smartwatches with short battery lives, as I'm still one of those who still wears a watch just to have the time handy... and a dead watch is useless to me.

 

[grahamperrin]

Always

From the news article:

… In a smaller survey of customers who registered as very likely to purchase a smart watch, the Apple Watch placed second to the Samsung Gear in buying intentions, although UBS expects those positions to reverse once the Apple Watch becomes available. …

I didn't know what the Gear looked like, I found http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/gear/

I'm somewhere between open minded and sceptical about Apple Watch.

Notification overload, e-mail overload

From an earlier topic:

I am hoping that none of the fanboi concepts that have come out are anywhere near the actual product because if all iWatch is a shrunken iOS interface and you have to sweep past gobs of screens of icons, or try and coax information out of Siri, it will be a failure, period.

Google focused on making Google Now as an excellent platform for a watch. Google understands context and tries to predict the information you may be most interested in at the moment you want to look at Google Now. A "few" flicks of your finger gives you details about everything that might interest you at that moment.

Apple has no idea about context, you either have to find and run an app that will give you the information, look through gobs of notification overload OR you have to yell obscenities at Siri until she finally figures out what you are asking for. This will make for a horrible smartwatch experience. I marvel at how people think iOS is advanced when it is still largely nothing more than a launcher interface. iWatch cannot simply be an app launcher as well.

It would be nice for Apple to surprise everyone with a concept and innovation that wasn't predicted 2 years in advance, but on the other hand I can easily see iWatch 1.0 being nothing more than the smallest iPad where the funnest games you can play is laughing at Siri's responses, hunting for an icon, or flick to close a hundred applications for exercise.

That's an interesting observation about context.

From https://twitter.com/tonybgoode/status/509401723275055104 – "My favorite new smartwatch."