Apple Watch Lead Sags As Smartwatch Market Sinks

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This is another one of those "we told you so" things where you guys have been saying this would happen all along. Maybe once these things hit bargain basement prices you can get them as stocking stuffers of something.

The number of smartwatches shipped over the most recent three months has declined 52 percent compared with the same July-to-September period last year, according to a report by IDC wearables analysts. Apple remains the leading smartwatch maker, but it has also seen fewer people interested in its tech-enabled timepiece this year than in 2015. It has lost significant ground to Garmin, thanks to that company's growing portfolio of fitness-focused smartwatches.
 
Still the #1 in volume with by far the most profit per unit? Omg the sky is falling. Oh wait what about Android then? Epic fail?
 
Likes like there going to get there stocking stuffed by end of year.
 
Hardly any innovation in the last 3 years for these things. They all pretty much offer the same basic function (minus the camera) of my Samsung Gear 2). I prefer a regular watch at the end of the day, so I probably won't be buying any new smartwatches any time soon. I love technology but smartwatches aren't for me.
 
Hardly any innovation in the last 3 years for these things. They all pretty much offer the same basic function (minus the camera) of my Samsung Gear 2). I prefer a regular watch at the end of the day, so I probably won't be buying any new smartwatches any time soon. I love technology but smartwatches aren't for me.

Bought a brand new 1st Gen Apple Watch last month for 1/3rd the price they were going for brand new just a year ago. Best decision I've made and compared to my coworker's Series 2 there is hardly any noticeable difference and he paid hundreds more than me. Won't be upgrading until there is something worth upgrading to.
 
I've never seen a smartwatch being worn in the general population.

I wear mine for several reasons but mostly that I have a medical condition that I can use the watch to track. Worth it simply for that. Other than that and being able to see who is calling / text messages I agree with most that they are not worth it.
 
I wear mine smartwatch all the time, Jabber integration is fantastic for work.
 
My coworker has and extensively uses an Android one. I get a lot of Dick Tracy flashbacks when he uses it for searches.
 
Bought a brand new 1st Gen Apple Watch last month for 1/3rd the price they were going for brand new just a year ago. Best decision I've made and compared to my coworker's Series 2 there is hardly any noticeable difference and he paid hundreds more than me. Won't be upgrading until there is something worth upgrading to.

This. I waited until series 2 came out and snagged a series 1 for a little over $200. Is it innovation? Not really. However, I came into the purchase with a firm understanding of what I was getting. It's been incredibly use for me in class to see who was calling or messaging me without pulling my phone out. The activity tracker, while not accurate, has encouraged me to move around more than I ever have.

For the TL;DR folks, just know what you are getting. I'm completely happy with my purchase and I'll continue to use it for as long as it lasts. Predicting two years out of it and that breaks down to less than my nextflix sub.
 
I've never seen a smartwatch being worn in the general population.
You must live in an interesting place.

Here in Silicon Valley they are ubiquitous. I got mine earlier this year and I feel I was a late adopter. I wear mine whenever I'm out, except to the gym since I'm scared I'll break it. Irony.

That said, I do know people that own smartwatches but don't wear them regularly.
 
Bought a brand new 1st Gen Apple Watch last month for 1/3rd the price they were going for brand new just a year ago. Best decision I've made and compared to my coworker's Series 2 there is hardly any noticeable difference and he paid hundreds more than me. Won't be upgrading until there is something worth upgrading to.

Same here. I bought a open-box from Best Buy for $192 in "excellent" condition. The thing looked brand new, and out of everything out there this was by-far the best bargain b/c it can do so much more than a simple fitness tracker. So i'm happy with it but there is no chance it hell I would pay over $200 for one of these because like tablets I saw these as useless and I would never need one. But getting this deal I am quite happy with it. Incredible battery life, and super convenient. Plus it's fun to try different bands. There are literally thousands of styles. I even got a waterproof band so I can use my Series 1 in the water.
 
This is another one of those "we told you so" things where you guys have been saying this would happen all along.

Meh. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Internet people nay-say everything. I remember people swearing the iPad would be a big fail too.
 
If/when Smart Watches shrink to the size of a traditional watch without sacrificing any functionality, while quadrupling their battery life, maybe they'll take off. Of course by the time we have tech for that we'll probably be sporting implanted tech.

I was always surprised the iWatch wasn't an order of magnitude smaller/slimmer than the competition. As much as I hate Jobs, he would have beaten his staff to shrink that thing down or not release it at all.

No one wants to wear an unreliable brick they need to charge every night.
 
If/when Smart Watches shrink to the size of a traditional watch without sacrificing any functionality, while quadrupling their battery life, maybe they'll take off. Of course by the time we have tech for that we'll probably be sporting implanted tech.

I was always surprised the iWatch wasn't an order of magnitude smaller/slimmer than the competition. As much as I hate Jobs, he would have beaten his staff to shrink that thing down or not release it at all.

No one wants to wear an unreliable brick they need to charge every night.

My Apple Watch isn't unreliable... and I don't wear it when I'm sleeping so it's no big deal to have it charge while I sleep. A whole day of moderate use and it's drained to ~40%. Plus, this thing is not really bigger than some traditional watches I've contemplated getting. Plus it's got motion/activity tracking, and I can respond to texts with voice without grabbing my phone. The only thing I don't like is the silicone band and the way it feels on my skin, but I can always get a different band.
 
I have a few friends with them. They seem like a quick way to get a notification (IM, Text, E-mail, Alarm, Alert, etc.) but aren't of much use for actually responding to any of those things.
Not sure what would make them an item I really need or want, but I don't think they're worthless or anything. I have the ability to pull out my phone whenever I want during the day, so I don't need any of those things. I can see the value if you can't.
 
I don't have an interest in a Smart Watch. I thought I did, but really I only want a blutooth mic/speaker watch. A company is making a Dick Tracy watch. That will be what I buy once they release the working one, and not just the replica.
 
I bought a Stainless iWatch 1st gen for my wife. Brand new and half the price of what it was priced when Series 2 hasn't come out. It's actually useful for her line of work. She can't have her phone out during work so most of time she would missed a lot of calls and text messages and never get back till the end of the day. With the iWatch, she could answer the call if she's not with the customer or never miss important messages or emails. To some, it's worth it and to most, it's useless.
 
I've been using smart watches since they've been out (work related - I am in the mobile app development space). I'm not sold on them - kind of cool, sort of useful, but I haven't had the desire to buy one of my own yet. I haven't found an app I can't live without. Calendar and the weather app are my most used on it.

I'll probably get a few rotten apples tossed at me, but I'd have to give the Apple Watch the nod for having the better smart watch. The haptic feedback is nice. The integrated with iOS is very good. It's also cool to use the watch to unlock my Mac I use at work. Curious to see Googles take on it when their update comes out.
 
I have a smartwatch, but enabling bluetooth causes the battery to only last for about 5-6 hours. So, now it is just a watch with a changeable face, and the battery lasts for two days. I got it because it was $90 for this one or $200 for a decent regular watch.
 
I got mine last year as a birthday present to myself. I've now had it for a bit over a year and have liked having it. Getting notifications is the most useful day to day, but, being able to use it to talk hands free and as a navigation aid for GPS are also really nice features. My mother and father bought theirs earlier this year and my mother in particular uses it to schedule and track her health and to maintain her routines. Would I recommend a smart watch to everyone? Or even most people? No. They're a luxury item with limited use today. But, for those of you that need to keep up with a lot of notifications without constantly pulling the phone out, or if you do a lot of driving with GPS, they're quite useful. And if you need health tracking or fitness tracking, or just want to get better at those, they're also potentially worth it.
 
People still wear watches?

A lot of government workers who deal with classified information do, since they can't bring in their phone or wear a smart watch. A lot of others wear them for fashion. I do both. I've got multiple watches and still plan to get more.

watches.jpg
 
I like the look of the Apple Watch, but I was looking at the Fitbit Blaze. I'm coming from a Microsoft Band (which got Zuned recently). Decent looking, tracks my walks, notifications from phone, controls music player (excellent!), and a decent watch.

It's just not an innovative market. Once you have one, there's little to no reason to upgrade. Looks and one or two features. Nothing that says "I NEED the new watch".
 
A lot of government workers who deal with classified information do, since they can't bring in their phone or wear a smart watch.

Most of the labs I've been in wont allow ANY unauthorized electronics, including watches. I have a clock on my wall, my computer, and my desk. I have zero desire to carry around one on my wrist.
 
Most of the labs I've been in wont allow ANY unauthorized electronics, including watches. I have a clock on my wall, my computer, and my desk. I have zero desire to carry around one on my wrist.

A lab would probably be a different story. Probably don't want some emi or something, have no idea. Never worked in one. I just deal with secure facilities. Where you can't have electronic devices that can store data and such. A regular wristwatch is fine. Even a pager is fine, as long as the pager can only receive.
 
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