Apple Watch Remains Nearly Three Times as Popular as Samsung Smartwatches

[foxkoneko]

well it's just awesome.
Gone from 250 pounds to 190 (current) since I got it

 

[5105973]

Isn't it mostly children playing Pokeman Go? Will they really buy a watch for a few hundred dollars? I would think the watch is more of an adult thing.

I don't know any kids playing it. Beside many lacking devices to load app onto, they lack the ability to just get up and drive wherever they think the Pokemon are and most kids are in camp or other heavily scheduled and supervised programs in the summer. I've got mine right here next to me doing her math. Kids at her school get a massive load of summer coursework to complete; it's really not much of a vacation for either of us. I'm having to correct fractions homework. The kids talk about the game but so far I don't know any who have been able to play it. No, it's been adults. My husband and his friends, aged 25-55. I'm a casual player. Meaning if I'm out and about doing nothing for a moment I'll pull out my phone, catch whatever's around and call it a day.

 

[John Mcgregor]

Isn't it mostly children playing Pokeman Go?

Yes, children from 3 to 60 or so. Childhood is unpredictable like that, hits you when you don't expect it.

 

[EricTheHalfBee]

Isn't it mostly children playing Pokeman Go? Will they really buy a watch for a few hundred dollars? I would think the watch is more of an adult thing.

It's adults playing this game. I take my kids out to play, and all the major hotspots to catch Pokemon are at least 80% adults.

Nintendo's wearable is tacky and aimed at kids. It looks like a toy. An app on the Apple Watch would be much better, and would have more functionality than Nintendo's.

 

[44267547]

I have an Apple Watch and a Samsung Gear S2. I see a lot of websites that "rank" the Gear S2 above the Apple Watch. I attribute this mostly to people refusing to acknowledge Apple as having a superior product.

I have had the Apple Watch since launch day last April and wore it every day for over a year. I got the Gear S2 about 3 months ago and have used it nearly everyday, so I feel I have a pretty good gauge how the two watches truly compare.

It is night and day different, the Apple Watch is hands down better. It is always buggy, often apps will crash, and overall I'm just unimpressed with the Gear S2. It seriously blows my mind when I see websites trash on the Apple Watch but talk about how great the S2 is.

Here's my recent adventure using the S2: I decide to reply to a text message on my watch. Siri has its faults on replies on an Apple Watch, but the S Voice on the Gear S2 I find is actually way less reliable. So I tend to reply via the on screen keyboard. I want to text back, "Thanks man, I'll see you later." It's a simple phrase. I have normal sized fingers so this should be easy, right? Nope. Could not get the words typed, and by the time I kept trying to retype a word the whole message app crashes, then proceeds to change my watch face to a totally different design and I cannot use the watch for about 10 seconds due to lag and crashes. The whole process takes me about 2 minutes. Total waste of time, I could have sent multiple texts on my phone in that time.

Gear Adventure #2: I'm getting ready to drive around while visiting Chicago and am trying to use my watch to mimic my Google Maps app on my Galaxy Note 5. After messing with it for about 5 minutes I cannot get the directions to synch up with my phone, the app proceeds to be super laggy, crashes, then resets my watch face. I try this process 2 more times with the exact same results.

These are not isolated events. These happen to me at least once a week. Now smart watches are a relatively new technology, so I don't expect perfect results every time. But come on, this happens way too frequently. In all my time using the Apple Watch I never had any issues remotely close to how awful the Gear S2 is in comparison.

Sure, you can write your hipster article all you want ranking the Gear S2 over the Apple Watch. But the fact is with my experiences, mixed with the fact that the Apple Watch is infinitely more customizeable, there is no way on Earth the Gear S2 is as good as the Apple Watch.

Excellent description Sir. Android software is no surprise to its dismay. And a real world representation on how both products compare, not just 'This is what I heard' type of post.

 

[Precision Gem]

It's adults playing this game. I take my kids out to play, and all the major hotspots to catch Pokemon are at least 80% adults.

Nintendo's wearable is tacky and aimed at kids. It looks like a toy. An app on the Apple Watch would be much better, and would have more functionality than Nintendo's.

Never realized this. I have no games on my phone, iPad or watch. The last video game I played was most likely Space Invaders at a roller skating rink back in the late 70s or early 80s.

 

[SBlue1]

The only reason to make your watch a circle is because it's an analog device... my digital watches have a much more rectangular shape, closer to that of an Apple Watch. There's nothing about your wrist that makes a circle a better usage of space.

Wait, analog watches all must be circular? And digital all square? But my wife has a square analog swiss watch. Maybe I should tell her that she is wrong.

There is no right or wrong for watches, no matter if digital or analog, smart, quartz or spring. A watch is a fashion item, so all sizes, colors, materials and forms are fine.

 

[LordVic]

Yes, children from 3 to 60 or so. Childhood is unpredictable like that, hits you when you don't expect it.

Of Course!

"There's no point being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes." - The Doctor

 

[44267547]

The thing with the competing Smart watches is that a lot of them went overboard making them look like regular watches, so they may be around but you don't notice them. I saw some guy wearing a round smart watch but I thought it was a regular watch until he got some sort of text on it. Apple Watches are very noticeable. You can't help but see them.

And that's why I like the Apple Watch. It's on it's own function and style. Your exactly right, the Apple Watch does stand out more than any other smart watch on the market, which was I love mine.
[doublepost=1469121008][/doublepost]

Although I cannot argue your numbers, my point was slightly different. Today most owners of tablets also own a desktop or a laptop. In my family we have a desktop, a laptop and two ipads. My point was that in the next five years we will see most homes with tablets and no laptops or desktops. That will include my home I believe.

In addition to your point, Tim Cook stated the iPad will ultimately be a replacement for the laptop in the future. Obviously we are not there yet, but we are on the verge.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Health bands and smartwatches are converging. Smartwatches in some form have a future.

Issue with AppleWatch and others - they try to do too much.

Too much? Like what? The majority of the much that they do is software and comes with few physical design or packaging limitations.

I think of the much as a smorgasbord... Few eat all form the selection, but most take what suits them.
[doublepost=1469121471][/doublepost]

I agree- I just got a Fitbit HR - I could not justify purchasing the Apple Watch due to the price and I felt like (no offense to some people - they look a little pretentious in my opinion). The fitbit does everything I want it to minus text alerts. It's perfect for me.

Apple watch just does not seemed like a product thats "focused"

One man's "focus" is another man's "lacks features".

If you are offering a smorgasbord, you don't only stock it with hot dogs.

 

[Johnny907]

Also made clear by the above chart: Apple Watch sales in 2016 have essentially stalled despite big price drops, improved software etc. None of this is anything to really crow about.

 

[MH01]

....trying reeeallllyyy hard to understand why anyone should care about the opinions of others in matters of personal wear and the devices that they choose to use. Just can't see it. Oh wait! Now I get it....nope. That was just passing a little gas. Nevermind.

Heard of fashion? Very opinion based.

 

[foxcub6]

well it's just awesome.
Gone from 250 pounds to 190 (current) since I got it

£259 uk price

 

[Stella]

Too much? Like what?

"Not focused" is a good description, together with excessive hardware - i.e., HR monitor, GPS, Cellular connectivity etc. Some of those could be off loaded to the connected phone and tethered. Battery capacity isn't here yet. And I'm not just referencing apple watch of course, but more broadly.

Becomes a jack of all trades, master of none. But it does depend on what you want to do with your watch. This is why, if I were to buy a smartwatch, it would probably be something like Vivoactive, with a good battery life ( unless GPS is activated ) . More suited towards sports, and importantly ( for me ) , waterproof.

 

[bobenhaus]

Considering I see Apple Watches on celebrities and people on the street and very very rarely see other smart watches (not counting Pebble/fitbit), this is not surprising at all.

Wait about 2 years and lets see who is selling more watches . I'm guess it could be Android with all the different manufactures

 

[RDeckard]

Most smart watches besides Apple are round. Since the initial hype is over and those watches account for over 53% of the entire smart watch market, I'd say Apple had better keep its options open. Function isn't the sole consideration for a product people wear. Never has been.

I agree that function isn't the sole consideration, but IMO the round smartwatch thing was either a "bridge" so people could have something to relate to (a regular analog watch) or the manufacturers are making a conscious decision to NOT look like an Apple watch.

Long ago phones had rotary dialing mechanisms and had a big round component to them (because that's how he dialing mechanism worked). The introduction of touch tone eliminated the need for the round dialers. Today, there's no need for the analog clock/watch mechanism and eventually most "smart watches" will probably be square or rectangular -- because that's the most efficient use of how most people consume information/content as it's presented today. (The same reason why we don't have round TVs, computer monitors, laptops, etc.)

Also, the "watch" component of these devices won't even be a primary function -- similar to how the "phone" function (the part where you dial people and actually talk to them) isn't even the primary function of smartphones today.

 

[jntdroid]

I have an Apple Watch and a Samsung Gear S2. I see a lot of websites that "rank" the Gear S2 above the Apple Watch. I attribute this mostly to people refusing to acknowledge Apple as having a superior product.

I have had the Apple Watch since launch day last April and wore it every day for over a year. I got the Gear S2 about 3 months ago and have used it nearly everyday, so I feel I have a pretty good gauge how the two watches truly compare.

It is night and day different, the Apple Watch is hands down better. It is always buggy, often apps will crash, and overall I'm just unimpressed with the Gear S2. It seriously blows my mind when I see websites trash on the Apple Watch but talk about how great the S2 is.

Here's my recent adventure using the S2: I decide to reply to a text message on my watch. Siri has its faults on replies on an Apple Watch, but the S Voice on the Gear S2 I find is actually way less reliable. So I tend to reply via the on screen keyboard. I want to text back, "Thanks man, I'll see you later." It's a simple phrase. I have normal sized fingers so this should be easy, right? Nope. Could not get the words typed, and by the time I kept trying to retype a word the whole message app crashes, then proceeds to change my watch face to a totally different design and I cannot use the watch for about 10 seconds due to lag and crashes. The whole process takes me about 2 minutes. Total waste of time, I could have sent multiple texts on my phone in that time.

Gear Adventure #2: I'm getting ready to drive around while visiting Chicago and am trying to use my watch to mimic my Google Maps app on my Galaxy Note 5. After messing with it for about 5 minutes I cannot get the directions to synch up with my phone, the app proceeds to be super laggy, crashes, then resets my watch face. I try this process 2 more times with the exact same results.

These are not isolated events. These happen to me at least once a week. Now smart watches are a relatively new technology, so I don't expect perfect results every time. But come on, this happens way too frequently. In all my time using the Apple Watch I never had any issues remotely close to how awful the Gear S2 is in comparison.

Sure, you can write your hipster article all you want ranking the Gear S2 over the Apple Watch. But the fact is with my experiences, mixed with the fact that the Apple Watch is infinitely more customizeable, there is no way on Earth the Gear S2 is as good as the Apple Watch.

I haven't had the Apple Watch yet, but have had the S2 (with an S7 - I also own a 6S). I agree that s-voice is weak - and that's without comparing to Siri on the Apple Watch. I haven't had the issues you have had with typing on the watch, but I also come from the generation that started with T9 typing/texting (maybe you do as well). I also haven't had any lag/crash issues at all.

But the thing that has me stuck on the S2 is the ability to use it without my phone (I have the 3G version on AT&T). I can go for a run or go out to dinner and leave my phone at home and still get calls and texts on my watch. Obviously answering a call on my watch isn't ideal, but at least I'll know the person called if it's an emergency. The same with texting, though I have a lot of preset texts built in.

Once I can do the same on an Apple Watch I'll likely switch over, but for now the S2 is meeting a need I didn't think I had - I can actually detach from my phone and still get calls/texts without all the other noise. It's kind of nice...

 

[doelcm82]

That's great. I'm amazed how many people I see wearing them, considering it's a first-gen product "nobody wanted". They're not all going to die-hard Apple fans.

Some people have a tautological definition of "die-hard Apple fans", that includes everyone who wears an Apple Watch.

Or simply everyone who likes Apple more than they do.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

I have an Apple Watch and a Samsung Gear S2. I see a lot of websites that "rank" the Gear S2 above the Apple Watch. I attribute this mostly to people refusing to acknowledge Apple as having a superior product.

I have had the Apple Watch since launch day last April and wore it every day for over a year. I got the Gear S2 about 3 months ago and have used it nearly everyday, so I feel I have a pretty good gauge how the two watches truly compare.

It is night and day different, the Apple Watch is hands down better. It is always buggy, often apps will crash, and overall I'm just unimpressed with the Gear S2. It seriously blows my mind when I see websites trash on the Apple Watch but talk about how great the S2 is.

Here's my recent adventure using the S2: I decide to reply to a text message on my watch. Siri has its faults on replies on an Apple Watch, but the S Voice on the Gear S2 I find is actually way less reliable. So I tend to reply via the on screen keyboard. I want to text back, "Thanks man, I'll see you later." It's a simple phrase. I have normal sized fingers so this should be easy, right? Nope. Could not get the words typed, and by the time I kept trying to retype a word the whole message app crashes, then proceeds to change my watch face to a totally different design and I cannot use the watch for about 10 seconds due to lag and crashes. The whole process takes me about 2 minutes. Total waste of time, I could have sent multiple texts on my phone in that time.

Gear Adventure #2: I'm getting ready to drive around while visiting Chicago and am trying to use my watch to mimic my Google Maps app on my Galaxy Note 5. After messing with it for about 5 minutes I cannot get the directions to synch up with my phone, the app proceeds to be super laggy, crashes, then resets my watch face. I try this process 2 more times with the exact same results.

These are not isolated events. These happen to me at least once a week. Now smart watches are a relatively new technology, so I don't expect perfect results every time. But come on, this happens way too frequently. In all my time using the Apple Watch I never had any issues remotely close to how awful the Gear S2 is in comparison.

Sure, you can write your hipster article all you want ranking the Gear S2 over the Apple Watch. But the fact is with my experiences, mixed with the fact that the Apple Watch is infinitely more customizeable, there is no way on Earth the Gear S2 is as good as the Apple Watch.

Nice summary. It's really the difference between a company who innovates for a living and a company who copies. Call me biased, but that really is a different. One company makes products that are thoughtful. The other one just does its version of the flavor of the day.

 

[jonnysods]

For a first gen device it's pretty amazing

 

[jntdroid]

Nice summary. It's really the difference between a company who innovates for a living and a company who copies. Call me biased, but that really is a different. One company makes products that are thoughtful. The other one just does its version of the flavor of the day.

I really don't think you can state that any more. Maybe they started that way, but Samsung is big enough now and has done enough stuff that is unique and different that I really don't think that's the case any more.

And I still love Apple more, so I'm definitely not saying that from a biased perspective solely in defense of Samsung.

 

[The Game 161]

I have the Apple Watch and Gear S2

Battery life is certainly better on the gear s2 with apps better on the Apple Watch. I like the way you can check notifications on the Samsung watch compared to the Apple Watch.

Both great for what I need a smart watch for.

 

[Mac 128]

I agree that function isn't the sole consideration, but IMO the round smartwatch thing was either a "bridge" so people could have something to relate to (a regular analog watch) or the manufacturers are making a conscious decision to NOT look like an Apple watch.

Long ago phones had rotary dialing mechanisms and had a big round component to them (because that's how he dialing mechanism worked). The introduction of touch tone eliminated the need for the round dialers. Today, there's no need for the analog clock/watch mechanism and eventually most "smart watches" will probably be square or rectangular -- because that's the most efficient use of how most people consume information/content as it's presented today. (The same reason why we don't have round TVs, computer monitors, laptops, etc.)

Also, the "watch" component of these devices won't even be a primary function -- similar to how the "phone" function (the part where you dial people and actually talk to them) isn't even the primary function of smartphones today.

Ever seen square buttons on a blouse? Same thing. Makes no sense, but there they are.

How much sense do round picture frames make when cameras take rectangular photos? Absolutely none. But yet there they are. Likewise, why make a round locket to hold a photo, since any photo chosen will have to be cropped -- shouldn't all lockets be square then?

People don't wear rotary phones, or even push button phones for that matter. And eliminating the rotary dial didn't change the availability of phone designs with round pushbutton dials. Trying to compare the watch, which is designed for brief "glances" of information, is not even in the same room with the function of a TV for watching films, or a computer or laptop for parsing data in documents. It's a ridiculous comparison that keeps coming up to refute the relevance of a round watch.

At the end of the day, anything a person wears is subject to personal preference, regardless of what is does, because what items a person wears is reflective of their personal style and an expression of fashion -- which is almost always paramount over functionality. Apple is selling the watch as a fashion accessory, and some people don't care whether they can read the entire text of an e-mail in the most efficient form -- they just want what they strap on their wrist to look stylsh. And considering the fashion industry is a $1.5 trillion dollar business, I'd say those people are entitled to their opinions.

 

[Michael Scrip]

despite Samsung sold almost double the amount of phones (81M vs 51M)

If you're gonna compare sales of units... make sure they are somewhat congruent.

Don't forget... Samsung sells a ton of $100 phones... while you need at least $400 to get an Apple phone.

Cheap things sell more... and Apple doesn't do cheap.

It's also no surprise that Lenovo, HP and Dell sell more laptops than Apple... when Apple's laptops start at $900.

 

[fermat-au]

Taking a closer look at the data, shipments of non-Apple smartwatches increased 93% y/y. The smartwatch category is growing fast, just not the Apple Watch . Either everyone who wanted an Apple Watch got one as soon as they were released, or once the Apple Watch was released people were not was excited about it, or a bit of both.