Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch sells 800,000 units in 2 months [u]

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
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].

Galaxy Gear


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.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 115
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Samsung's watch was garbage from the get-go. This comes to zero surprise to anyone with half a brain. I think they put this crap out there simply to say they came out with it first so when (if) Apple comes out with their own polished and useful version, they can copy it and say it was just an "evolution" of their existing first-to-market piece of crap.

    That's Samsung's R&D right there. Copy/Paste/Rename. Done.
  • Reply 2 of 115
    Apple will do a smart watch the right way.
  • Reply 3 of 115
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
  • Reply 4 of 115
    I actually think that is better than I would have expected for what amounts to a high priced accessory. I do think it was a "we will ship first" so we can't be accused of copying Apple product.
  • Reply 5 of 115
    I would never buy one of these. When I got a cellphone it freed me from having to wear a watch. For a company to convince me to put something back on my wrist, the product has to be spectacular. I'm looking forward to what Apple and Google have coming.
  • Reply 6 of 115
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    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.

  • Reply 7 of 115
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    I'm looking forward to what Apple and Google have coming.

    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.

    ;)
  • Reply 8 of 115
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    What a joke. I wouldn't want one of those Samsung watches even if it cost $29.99.

  • Reply 9 of 115

    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.

  • Reply 10 of 115
    Others have said it but unless there is truly remarkable product in this space why put something back on my wrist? It has to enhance my life or it is a no go.
  • Reply 11 of 115
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

    Daily sales of the device to date are between 800 and 900 units…

     

    We know the stats; I just forget them. How many iPhones are sold every second, again?

     

    Originally Posted by rcoleman1 View Post

    Apple will do a smart watch the right way.

     

    And if that way happens to be “not at all”, then so be it.

     
    Originally Posted by TechProd1gy View Post

    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.

  • Reply 12 of 115
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TeaEarleGreyHot View Post

     

    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.  

  • Reply 13 of 115
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    I hear the next version will have 20% more fugly.
  • Reply 14 of 115
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member

    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.

  • Reply 15 of 115
    Samsung was able to find 50,000 idiots to buy its watch. You can fool some people some of the time.
  • Reply 16 of 115
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    sflocal wrote: »
    Of course Tim Cook did mention something about wearable devices...

    iSocks?

    iJocks? (RAM not included, nor upgradeable)
  • Reply 17 of 115
    I wonder if the "50,000 unit sales" includes the 30% return rate, which would actually amount to about 35,000 unit sales. Has anyone actually seen someone wearing a Gear watch? Hardly sounds like the wearable computing space "continues to heat up."
  • Reply 18 of 115
    Look into Troy Wolverton's reporting on Apple touch ID failure.

    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.
  • Reply 19 of 115
    I have an iPod in my pocket that I use like a watch. Works fine, though I do have to reach into my pocket for the iPod, rather than glance at something mounted on my wrist.

    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.
  • Reply 20 of 115
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post

     



    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.

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