Once you combine smart watches' expensive price tag and the unclear reasons why someone would want one, smart watches become an unattractive product, Gartner said. Some companies, including Samsung, have seen some early success with smart watches but overall, the market has only recently started to grow.
Whenever a market shift in the technology industry occurs, companies come out with versions of the new product before the public actually cares or sees a reason why the product is important. This seems to be what is happening with smart watches and other wearable technologies, as Samsung, Qualcomm, Pebble, and others, rush to market with devices that probably will not sell well.
"Samsung and other well-known vendors have recently entered the smart watch space, yet the products we have seen so far have been rather uninspiring in terms of design, available apps and features," said Annette Zimmermann, an analyst with Gartner.
Out of all the smart-watch companies with a device that has already become available, Samsung is the largest and is a good example of what is wrong with the smart-watch market overall. Samsung's Galaxy Gear has seen 800,000 sales (according to Samsung's figures) but reviewers have overwhelmingly criticized it as a relatively unnecessary device with limited battery life.
As of right now, all these devices are merely companions to actual smartphones, and yet they...