Apparently it has a 30% return rate. Your turn Apple!
http://bgr.com/2013/10/25/samsung-galaxy-gear-return-rate/
http://bgr.com/2013/10/25/samsung-galaxy-gear-return-rate/
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Samsung Gear = Failure
- Thread starter dannyyankou
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honestly i'm samsung mad now but not sure why anybody would have use for this...why have a phone if you are going to check your watch first?
Other than excessive convenience in most cases, there are a few benefits. I don't have a Gear but do own/use a Pebble. It's great in a few situations--when I'm outdoors (cycling, at the beach) and my phone is buried in my pack/bag it's nice to be able to quickly see SMS or Gmail or play/pause/change tracks for music. It'll also show Facebook or Google+ notifications if one so chooses, not a need of mine. In a similar vein, when I'm driving it's easier to quickly glance at my watch for notifications. With the app Glance, I can even fire back one of a handful of preset canned SMS responses.
I also use it as a 'trusted bluetooth device' (similar to Moto X functionality) with the app Delayed Lock so that if my phone is connected to the Pebble, my PIN is not required to unlock my phone.
I've also used it on a few occasions with FreeCaddie Golf GPS while playing a round of golf. I can leave my phone in the golfcart or my bag and get realtime yardages available at a glance.
The Pebble is a 'nice to have' gadget. While it's provided some nice functionality, I don't think I'd find it too hard to live without.
I'm guessing the Gear would be similar.
Apple wont do any better, even if they make a smartwatch. While there are a few use cases for smartwatches (say for those that are deaf and can not hear when the phone is ringing, they can feel the smartwatch vibrating), it is a not a must have piece of equipment. In this day and age, people believe they 'need' a smartphone and if necessary will make sacrifices in other areas to have one. The majority of people can not justify this when it comes to a smartwatch.
This is not to say that smartwatches are not wanted. People will buy them, regardless of brand, but it is more apt to compare the percentage of sales to that of tablets, than that of phones.
In 2012, worldwide sales of cell phones was roughly 2 billion. Tablets was roughly 128 million. Given the sub-market for a device like the smartwatch, sales won't be considered much more than niche, unless a watch can somehow replace the phone completely. I don't see that happening any time soon. Just my personal opinion.
I wonder how many people brought it back because it only works with one freaking device!?
It was incredibly idiotic for Samsung to launch the Gear when it only works with a niche product, which is the Note 3.
Samsung should have been grinding out an update long before releasing the Gear to ensure the largest pool of potential users was able to take advantage of what the Gear offers.
It was incredibly idiotic for Samsung to launch the Gear when it only works with a niche product, which is the Note 3.
Samsung should have been grinding out an update long before releasing the Gear to ensure the largest pool of potential users was able to take advantage of what the Gear offers.
Still don't understand the idea behind this little fad. You spend a couple hundred bucks on a phone just to spend more money on something so you don't have to deal with your phone? I don't get it. Plus that watch is huge! Kinda clunky.
That and I guess for me it has a lot to do with the fact that I could never use one if I wanted one. My job prevents me from having devices like that inside the work center. No phones or electronic devices that emit or accept a signal.
That and I guess for me it has a lot to do with the fact that I could never use one if I wanted one. My job prevents me from having devices like that inside the work center. No phones or electronic devices that emit or accept a signal.
I bet a few people purchased it with the intent of returning it just so they could play around with one for a couple weeks.
People said the exact same thing about the iPad when it was announced. Who needs a tablet when we have large smartphones and laptops? People are never going to pay $500 for a tablet when laptops are cheaper! Other companies have already released tablets and failed miserably, what is Apple thinking!? Etc...Here we are several years later with MANY millions of iPads sold and many companies now making them. From the MP3 player to the modern smartphone to the tablet computer, I think we have learned it doesn't become a must have piece of equipment until Apple releases one. The smartwatch will be no different.
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I have a Pebble and it surprisingly doesn't get much coverage, for instance "a device that Samsung had hoped would give it an early edge in the smartwatch wars with Apple, Google and other major tech companies."
While I use it for very limited functions, I think that's the point. I'm not trying to replace my phone, just looking for something to augment it.
I love being able to control the music. And while driving or at work it's nice to be able to just look at my wrist to see who's calling or sending a message.
I always wear a watch, so it wasn't adding anything I didn't already have on all the time.
I will say the range has been pretty impressive. This is my first Bluetooth accessory outside of remote controls and mouse/keyboards and the watch can stay connected at 20-30 feet depending on what's in between. I can leave my phone on the counter top and control music while doing dishes or cooking. I can get a text message even when my phone is another room or charging.
I get about 10 days of battery life on the Pebble. Don't know what the Samsung Gear gets, but with all the extra capability it has, I wouldn't be shocked if it was substantially less.
It is a niche item, for now. I think there is potential if the form factor can be improved on. But it kind of requires a bulky form factor. Readable screen, buttons that have practical size, decent battery life, a connector to charge it. That all requires real-estate.
While I use it for very limited functions, I think that's the point. I'm not trying to replace my phone, just looking for something to augment it.
I love being able to control the music. And while driving or at work it's nice to be able to just look at my wrist to see who's calling or sending a message.
I always wear a watch, so it wasn't adding anything I didn't already have on all the time.
I will say the range has been pretty impressive. This is my first Bluetooth accessory outside of remote controls and mouse/keyboards and the watch can stay connected at 20-30 feet depending on what's in between. I can leave my phone on the counter top and control music while doing dishes or cooking. I can get a text message even when my phone is another room or charging.
I get about 10 days of battery life on the Pebble. Don't know what the Samsung Gear gets, but with all the extra capability it has, I wouldn't be shocked if it was substantially less.
It is a niche item, for now. I think there is potential if the form factor can be improved on. But it kind of requires a bulky form factor. Readable screen, buttons that have practical size, decent battery life, a connector to charge it. That all requires real-estate.
Especially since all phones have vibration to begin with. If a deaf person is deaf to a degree where (s)he cannot hear / feel the phone's ringtone / vibration, you could argue that a phone (for making calls that is) is useless to begin with. Don't want to discriminate deaf people obvipously , just wondering. Unless you refer to text notifications that is.
I am currently in India on a business trip, a few nights ago i was having dinner with some clients and most of them had samsung phones (note2's and S4's)..The conversation lead to the Note 3 and all but 1 said that they would not go for the watch..When I asked why they said that the large note 3 is sort of like a status symbol in India given that its one of the most expensive smart phones, why would they carry all that real estate on them and then use a watch to control it Most in India walk around with a phone in their hands..Strange logic but i guess every consumer base has its opinions..
Most in India walk around with a phone in their hands..Strange logic but i guess every consumer base has its opinions..I don't think Samsung expected Gear to be a huge success. I think it's just another way of them trying to say the are ahead of the competition. Kind of a marketing thing. And they didn't what Apple to be first at it.
Don't forget that Apple is a luxury brand. Once you have that Apple logo on the back people will line up for it. Seeing someone walk around with the Gear atrocity strapped to their wrist you have no choice but to break out in laughter at how bad it looks. But knowing Apple they will get the hardware right and it will become popular to wear their smartphone. Is it functionally needed? Probably not in the current iteration of smartwatches, but then again Tablets are not needed when put up next to laptops.
Personally I have no use for a smartwatch that allows me to check text messages and email and is useless unless paired with a phone. I prefer a standalone device which has its own SIM slot and can function without a phone like the Omate smartwatch or the Neptune Pine, now those are real smartwatches IMO.
I agree, there is a lot that you can do with a watch and from a OEM stand point it should be made with a stand alone purpose rather than paired with a phone. Lets see how apple approaches it, personally I am not going to buy a watch unless there is something truly remarkable, but i can imagine a device that can sell very very well if done right. Is google working on a watch?
And as I pointed out, tablets are a minor player when compared to phones. The percentage of sales and profit is minuscule compared to phones. If Apple didn't sell another iPad, they would be fine. If Apple never sold another phone, they would be in a world of hurt.
Its all relative..First generation Ipad sold very well, the iphone did too..The Note sold pretty well aswell if i recall..But then we really do not know the size of the market as it is still developing.
Yes indeed they are, rumor says it will be announced on the 31st along with kit kat.
I have no interest at all in smart watches no matter how good they are be it Apple, Samsung, Google or Microsoft. I wore a watch since I was 11 years old and after 24 years I stopped wearing them after my second smartphone. I felt as if a "shackle" was removed from my wrist.
I agree with everything you said, apart from the bit about Apple being the holy grail of tech equipment. Apple, although exceptional; have not always hit the mark too.