People Still Aren’t Buying Smartwatches, and It’s Only Going to Get Worse

Except that what you are doing is assuming a need for a specific device. With what you are saying, might as well just strap a bunch of stuff on ourselves and stay in bed.

I quite literally did not say that...
 
During the winter, it's easier for me to get at my phone than it is my watch. My coat sleeve is tight, too keep wind out and also to keep my sleeve out of the way of my hands while driving. I also layer, so to get at my watch, I have to unvelcro my sleeve, push it back, pull on my inner layer jacket and pull it back. Then I can see my watch. That or reach into my pocket and grab my phone. Only gets worse, if I'm snowboarding. Which means I'll have gloves on. Making it even harder to get at my watch.

I see said the blind man :p

Living in Southern California, I barely know what long sleeve or a jacket is.
Last time I wore a long sleeve shirt was when I went on a cruise in Alaska a few years ago.
I don't mind the cold, so even with lows in the upper 40's I don't need a jacket for the short time I'm outside.
Don't even use the heater in my car in the morning, as it's warm enough sitting on my garage.
 
I like my huawei watch, it's especially useful during boring ass meetings because i can casually look at my watch and still be reading my emails or texts and it's less obvious than pulling out my entire phone. The only problem is remembering to constantly charge it and the fact that I would prefer to be able to leave the screen on all the time but then the battery would only last like 5 hours.
 
Except that you are incorrect on the phone filling that need. Think GPS as in running and other stuff, not as in how do I get where I am going. Phones are not good for doing the stuff you mentioned, especially when you are doing things that will make the phone not useable.

Edit: And if you are using your phone well driving............

Get a GPS app for running, stick phone in an arm band. Big deal. It's going to be just as good as a smartwatch. Now if you're trying to compare it to an actual GPS watch, well, both the smartphone and smartwatch is going to suck compare to actual GPS watches. Why? Cause they are all-in-one device. They might be able to do everything, but they suck doing everything also. Although many smart watches can't do anything without the phone anyways.

I also wouldn't recommend using a smartphone or a smartwatch while driving. You can say it's safer all you want with a smart watch. It's not safe taking your eyes off the road. Just pair either to your stereo and use voice commands. Not that I'd do that either. I just pair my phone, play music, and drive.
 
Get a GPS app for running, stick phone in an arm band. Big deal. It's going to be just as good as a smartwatch. Now if you're trying to compare it to an actual GPS watch, well, both the smartphone and smartwatch is going to suck compare to actual GPS watches. Why? Cause they are all-in-one device. They might be able to do everything, but they suck doing everything also. Although many smart watches can't do anything without the phone anyways.

I also wouldn't recommend using a smartphone or a smartwatch while driving. You can say it's safer all you want with a smart watch. It's not safe taking your eyes off the road. Just pair either to your stereo and use voice commands. Not that I'd do that either. I just pair my phone, play music, and drive.

Why would I want to wear my phone on my arm? Also, how is that going to give me my splits at a moments notice, pace, heart rate or any other information I want without removing my phone from my arm well trying to run. Also, glancing at my watch is no different from glancing at my radio or my speedometer. However, with a phone, you need to take your eyes completely off the road. Smart watches are really good all in one devices and do some things much better than a phone ever would.

Garmin is the best GPS in the business, even phones cannot compare. Now, feel free to disagree but I have experienced both, the Vivoactive 3 is fantastic. (I much preferred the MS Band 2 but, that is not available anymore.)

Edit: The Vivoactive 3 IS a GPS watch and also a smart watch.
 
Get a GPS app for running, stick phone in an arm band. Big deal. It's going to be just as good as a smartwatch. Now if you're trying to compare it to an actual GPS watch, well, both the smartphone and smartwatch is going to suck compare to actual GPS watches. Why? Cause they are all-in-one device. They might be able to do everything, but they suck doing everything also. Although many smart watches can't do anything without the phone anyways.

I also wouldn't recommend using a smartphone or a smartwatch while driving. You can say it's safer all you want with a smart watch. It's not safe taking your eyes off the road. Just pair either to your stereo and use voice commands. Not that I'd do that either. I just pair my phone, play music, and drive.

My vivoactive hr without gps can count my swimming laps very accurately and is pretty dang good at telling me what stroke I was using per length and lap. Try swimming with a phone strapped on your arm to record your training data, it wont work out well for you.

My vivoactive hr can tell me my running cadence without a footpod with 98% accuracy. A phone on your arm is not accurate at all, it can give you a pace through gps but not running cad. I do not need my phone at all for my watch. I can record and view many of my stats on the watch itself. I hate lugging my phone with me on my quick 5k and 10k runs.

With a couple clicks I can switch from swim, to run, to bike and my watch will connect to all of my sensors via bluetooth or ant+. You either need multiple apps on your phone or a paid app to do it. Not all phones have ant+ which is essential for cycling.

As a triathlete this watch is pretty good, the forerunner is better and my next upgrade. This watch is much better than any phone for activity tracking because it is designed for it and has hardware phones do not have. My Galaxy s7 edge does not have a barometer for elevation, my watch does. My phone does have ant+ but iPhones do not.

These watches have their place, maybe not for the general populous but they're amazing for me as a triathlete and do so much more than a phone could ever do.

Just because you don't find a smart watch useful, does not mean it is not useful to others.
 
I thought about it. But hey.

C$20 Casio from Walmart can take a beating all day long and goes on forever and ever. Even at -40°C.

If I need something fancy, I just reach to my pocket and there we go, good old Nexus 4 to the rescue.

I love me some tech, but sometimes you have to be reasonable.
 
The Mrs has asked me at least 5 times if I want a smart watch, I keep telling her no. I don't get it, and I don't want something else to have to charge every day. I guess I'm not the target audience.

Now if/when they perfect flexible screens and you can have a decent sized rounded one on your wrist (think like wrist sweat band sized, but thin) maybe. Eh who knows.

Honestly I thought we'd have AR smartglasses by now that just look like sunglasses.
 
You don't need to charge your watch all the time it's not like a phone that way. My vivoactive hr only needs charging once every two weeks. I wear it all the time and I use it for swimming and running about 7-8hrs per week. Running usually has GPS mode on unless I am on a treadmill which it detects distance and cadence even on a treadmill, swimming does not use gps and HRM.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around what the hell a smart watch is supposed to do that my smart phone doesn't do already. I guess for someone like me, a smartwatch doesn't serve any real purpose.
 
Why would I want to wear my phone on my arm? Also, how is that going to give me my splits at a moments notice, pace, heart rate or any other information I want without removing my phone from my arm well trying to run. Also, glancing at my watch is no different from glancing at my radio or my speedometer. However, with a phone, you need to take your eyes completely off the road. Smart watches are really good all in one devices and do some things much better than a phone ever would.

Garmin is the best GPS in the business, even phones cannot compare. Now, feel free to disagree but I have experienced both, the Vivoactive 3 is fantastic. (I much preferred the MS Band 2 but, that is not available anymore.)

Edit: The Vivoactive 3 IS a GPS watch and also a smart watch.

I never said you'd want to wear your phone around your arm, but can you deny that the phone can't accomplish the same things? I'm not saying it's convenient. I'm not saying it's accurate. I'm not saying it's inaccurate. I'm simply saying it can do it.

FYI, glancing at your phone, radio, speedometer, etc has you taking your eyes off the road. Unless you can control your eyes like a chameleon or something. Doesn't matter if it's half a second, 5 seconds, 20 seconds. Your eyes are off the road. I can also just glance at my phone. As I pair my phone to my car stereo, it's easier for me to change my music from my phone, than from my stereo. My stereo is near my knee, while my phone is near my gauge cluster. Both my stereo and my phone are touchscreen, so I have to look to figure out where the forward/reverse button are. I plan on getting a new stereo with physical forward/reverse button though, cause I want to be able to just reach over, feel it, and press the button. Didn't think it was a big deal, until I actually got it and started using it.


My vivoactive hr without gps can count my swimming laps very accurately and is pretty dang good at telling me what stroke I was using per length and lap. Try swimming with a phone strapped on your arm to record your training data, it wont work out well for you.

My vivoactive hr can tell me my running cadence without a footpod with 98% accuracy. A phone on your arm is not accurate at all, it can give you a pace through gps but not running cad. I do not need my phone at all for my watch. I can record and view many of my stats on the watch itself. I hate lugging my phone with me on my quick 5k and 10k runs.

With a couple clicks I can switch from swim, to run, to bike and my watch will connect to all of my sensors via bluetooth or ant+. You either need multiple apps on your phone or a paid app to do it. Not all phones have ant+ which is essential for cycling.

As a triathlete this watch is pretty good, the forerunner is better and my next upgrade. This watch is much better than any phone for activity tracking because it is designed for it and has hardware phones do not have. My Galaxy s7 edge does not have a barometer for elevation, my watch does. My phone does have ant+ but iPhones do not.

These watches have their place, maybe not for the general populous but they're amazing for me as a triathlete and do so much more than a phone could ever do.

Just because you don't find a smart watch useful, does not mean it is not useful to others.


How can you claim any accuracy, when Garmin themselves don't do such? That's not to say it's doing a horrible job, but without properly testing it, you really don't know. It's just, good enough. Which is pretty much the case for all these fitness trackers. Not the case when you're doing something on the like, Olympic scale. They aren't using these things.

There's also apps for everything you mentioned. I never said they were good, but I didn't say any of it was good anyways. Hence my claim of both smartphones and smartwatches being the following:

Cause they are all-in-one device. They might be able to do everything, but they suck doing everything also


I also stated that many smartwatches can't do anything without the phone. I didn't say all smartwatches. Many also work completely without a phone or some have very limited functionality without the phone. Even your Vivoactive Hr loses some functionality without the phone. If you're using it purely as a fitness tracker, then the phone really isn't needed, unless you want all the virtual fitness trainer notification type stuff.

Galaxy S7 Edge does have a barometer. You just need an app to use the barometer for elevation. That or apps that instead use GPS location for elevation.
iPhone doesn't have Ant+, but there are adapters, cause you know. Apple loves adapters.

Either way, nothing I've stated is against smartwatches. I'm simply stating that phones can do the same things. Maybe not as well, maybe better. Hell if I know. I'm just saying they can do it.
 
"it's only going to get worse" ... compared to what?
 
My wife likes her Apple Watch. Uses it mostly for paying for stuff and as a fashion accessory. Not sure it was worth what I paid for it, but at least it isn't sitting in corner somewhere collecting dust.
 
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