Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch sells 800,000 units in 2 months [u]
Since its debut in late September, Samsung's Galaxy Gear smart watch has sold 800,000 units -- far more than the 50,000 originally claimed by an erroneous rumor [updated].
Update: Samsung has subsequently issued an announcement to reveal that it has sold 800,000 total units since the Galaxy Gear went on sale in late September. The official announcement dispels a rumor originally reported on. The initial, now-disputed report, remains below.
Daily sales of the device to date are between 800 and 900 units, according to a story published Monday by BusinessKorea. According to the publication, those sales are "far below the initial expectations" market watchers had for the wearable device.
The Galaxy Gear launched in September to a great deal of hype and fanfare from Samsung, including a series of television spots pushing its debut. Reports revealed that the South Korean electronics maker quickly scrambled to finish the product and push it to market, as the wearable computing space continues to heat up.
The Galaxy Gear was widely panned in reviews at launch, as critics cited a high $300 price tag, limited functionality and poor battery life as significant knocks against the wrist-worn accessory. The device was also initially limited to connectivity with the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, but support for the Galaxy S3, S4 and Note 2 was eventually added.
Earlier reports also indicated that resellers such as Best Buy were seeing exceptionally high return rates on the Galaxy Gear of up to 30 percent. That allegedly prompted concern among Samsung, who asked employees of its Best Buy-based Samsung Experience shops to ascertain reasons for the high incidence of dissatisfaction.
Speculation has been mounting that Apple is planning to release its own so-called "iWatch" at some point in the next year. It's been claimed that such a device would focus on biometrics and health information feedback.
In other Samsung supply news, a report from KoreaIT News published on Monday claimed that the company plans to ship 100 million tablets in 2014. The company's supply chain is reportedly gearing up for materials and parts to ship a massive number of tablets on the company's behalf next year.
Update: Samsung has subsequently issued an announcement to reveal that it has sold 800,000 total units since the Galaxy Gear went on sale in late September. The official announcement dispels a rumor originally reported on. The initial, now-disputed report, remains below.
Daily sales of the device to date are between 800 and 900 units, according to a story published Monday by BusinessKorea. According to the publication, those sales are "far below the initial expectations" market watchers had for the wearable device.
The Galaxy Gear launched in September to a great deal of hype and fanfare from Samsung, including a series of television spots pushing its debut. Reports revealed that the South Korean electronics maker quickly scrambled to finish the product and push it to market, as the wearable computing space continues to heat up.
The Galaxy Gear was widely panned in reviews at launch, as critics cited a high $300 price tag, limited functionality and poor battery life as significant knocks against the wrist-worn accessory. The device was also initially limited to connectivity with the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, but support for the Galaxy S3, S4 and Note 2 was eventually added.
Earlier reports also indicated that resellers such as Best Buy were seeing exceptionally high return rates on the Galaxy Gear of up to 30 percent. That allegedly prompted concern among Samsung, who asked employees of its Best Buy-based Samsung Experience shops to ascertain reasons for the high incidence of dissatisfaction.
Speculation has been mounting that Apple is planning to release its own so-called "iWatch" at some point in the next year. It's been claimed that such a device would focus on biometrics and health information feedback.
In other Samsung supply news, a report from KoreaIT News published on Monday claimed that the company plans to ship 100 million tablets in 2014. The company's supply chain is reportedly gearing up for materials and parts to ship a massive number of tablets on the company's behalf next year.
Comments
That's Samsung's R&D right there. Copy/Paste/Rename. Done.
The Galaxy Gear... South Korean electronics maker quickly scrambled to finish the product and push it to market, as the wearable computing space continues to heat up.
Clearly it is not "continuing to heat up". Global daily sales of 850 units over a two month debut in the general consumer marketplace can't be described as anything except a dismal failure in a virtually nonexistent market. Apple must be laughing themselves silly, their misdirection having worked so flawlessly.
Apple, Google THEN Samsung AGAIN with their natural evolution of design, just full to the brim with original innovation...that by pure coincidence resembles the other products.
Don't forget how the timeline works.
What a joke. I wouldn't want one of those Samsung watches even if it cost $29.99.
I know someone who got this.
It was comical watching him fumbling around trying to do simple things.
I still believe Apple will do it right and make it intuitive.
We know the stats; I just forget them. How many iPhones are sold every second, again?
And if that way happens to be “not at all”, then so be it.
…why put something back on my wrist? It has to enhance my life or it is a no go.
Exactly.
Technology is a fickle thing. Pockets aren’t representative of other clothing in any respect. Everyone puts every thing in pockets, but actively wearing something is a different matter. If you make a piece of technology that is meant to be explicitly worn, people have to want to wear it. It’s absolutely no different from a plain piece of clothing, either. Those one-piece jumpsuits you always see people in the 2000s wearing in old movies? Doesn’t work. Because people don’t want to wear them. It doesn’t matter why they don’t, they just don’t, so they don’t sell.
There has to be an explicit reason for the device to exist if you’re going to get John Q. Public to wear it. It has to do something that nothing else you’d either be wearing or carrying with you does, not just operate as an extension of those other things. That’s just not good enough.
Apple must be laughing themselves silly, their misdirection having worked so flawlessly.
I don't think Apple did anything of the sort. Thank the media and so-called industry "moles" for essentially guessing. Apple did nothing nor said anything about what they were doing. Of course Tim Cook did mention something about wearable devices but that could be anything. Needless to say, I'm sure Tim and Jony are having more of a chuckle knowing that Samsung has proven without doubt that without Apple leading the way, they are about as innovative as pond-scum.
I'm sure Apple has test devices deep within the bunker of R&D. They would be foolish not to at least be entertaining the idea. It may come to fruition, it may not. I'd bet that they have 99 prototypes for every 100 than never see the light of day.
I personally believe the whole iWatch concept, product leak idea, call it what you want but I think it was apple' strategy to make Samsung waste R&D and Advertising $ on things they know will not be a hit.
Remember this is war and as in any war, miss direction and miss information is just as an important tool to winning as knowing the facts.
iSocks?
iJocks? (RAM not included, nor upgradeable)
10 years ago mr Wolverton wrote an article for the street.com claiming that Abercrombie and Fitch was out of style because the color black was out of style. The article was written to bash Abercrombie for short sellers and was nothing but lies. How do I know this? Because at the time I was the largest individual shareholder outside of management, and knew a thing or two about the company. More specifically, that Abercrombie and Fitch does not make any clothing in the color black or with black in it. Got that.
I've gotten lazy in my old age, but apple insider should spend a few days looking into mr. Wolverton and the people behind his present motivations. It will fascinate your readers.
Perhaps Apple has not released a smart watch because it can't be made to make sense for most consumers.
Then again, maybe Apple knows how to make a device that does work out.
We shall see.
I don't think Apple did anything of the sort. Thank the media and so-called industry "moles" for essentially guessing. Apple did nothing nor said anything about what they were doing. Of course Tim Cook did mention something about wearable devices but that could be anything. Needless to say, I'm sure Tim and Jony are having more of a chuckle knowing that Samsung has proven without doubt that without Apple leading the way, they are about as innovative as pond-scum.
I'm sure Apple has test devices deep within the bunker of R&D. They would be foolish not to at least be entertaining the idea. It may come to fruition, it may not. I'd be that they have 99 prototypes for every 100 than never see the light of day.
I saw your comment after I posted mine, I would say do not be so naive about what businesses do, They do in fact send out miss information about what they are or are not doing. You are looking at this too literal, just because Apple the company did not say or Cook did not they were or were not working on a Watch does not mean the information we are all seeing was not purposely put out there.
Remember the Asteroid product that leaked out.
http://www.lowendmac.com/rumormill/06/0609.html
You can argue what the motives were, but what you can not argue is this, the product idea was leaked to lots of sources, there was presentation about the products, apple took actions to stop the information spread, but no product ever saw the light of day. You have to ask yourself, would apple have killed the product after putting up such a fight just because it was leaked. Have you seen apple kill any product which was leaked ahead of time. Yeah it may have been something they were playing with in the back room, as you pointed out, but you do not go to the level they did one a concept.
I believe much of the rumor product information is done on purpose these days so people can not tell what is truth or made up and the competition waste resources reacting to it.