Why would Apple watch sales blow away Android Wear watch sales?

electricpete · Nov 8, 2015

According to reports, there were 1.2 million Android Wear Watches in use as of Feb 2015, then 1.9 million as of Nov 2015. In contrast, 7 million Apple watches have been sold (one would assume most of those are in use).

I would have thought it would be the opposite, based on:
* the fact that Android phone users far outnumber Apple phone users
* the fact that there are several less-expensive options on the Android Wear side.
* the fact that A.W. works in limited fashion on Apple watch...attracts a few apple users.
* I thought maybe Android users tend to be more interested and/or savvy in technology than Apple users (as a broad generality, certainly doesn't apply to everyone)

So It surprises me.
Why would Apple watch be so much more popular than Android Wear?

AZgl1500 · Nov 8, 2015

to me, a watch that interfaces with my phone is useless.... and I betcha most of the Android crowd feel that way.

the screen is too small, the phone is in my hands, or that close, so why bother with another piece of junk that costs me money?

The Apple crowd? I left them in 1982 when they decided that it would cost me more to get a 64 mB memory card that it would cost for me to buy a complete 286 computer, and then add on a 512 mB card for a little over $30 bux....

the folks who buy Apple, follow Apple like a dog on a leash, if Apple makes it, they just "have to have it".

and that is my story and I will stick to it until the day I die....

The_Chief · Nov 8, 2015

I can't answer that, other than Apple folks can be a bit rabid about their brand. There are many more iPhones out there than one might imagine... and Android folks? Well we have a lot of devices too: but they're not all Wear-compatible.

In defense of Android Wear, I LOVE my Huawei Watch and wouldn't want to be without it. I have a bluetooth stereo headset and the watch... the phone, unless I'm actively using it, stays in the holster. I get my notifications, phone calls, etc. right on the watch. I can make or take calls without ever touching my phone. And I get a lot of looks and compliments on it. And questions.

"Wow, is that an Apple watch?"

:rolleyes:

AZgl1500 · Nov 8, 2015

I commented in another thread 2 or 3 months back about a motorcycle friend who had a Android Wear watch.
I asked him just how useful "that thing is"?
He demonstrated that he can use it while suited up, with gloves on, so for him, yes it was very useful.

he talked to it and asked it to route him to a local fast food joint we all knew where it was. and Google voice took the request, pulled up a map, and started giving him directions via his BT earpiece.

so, it has its' uses, but I'm just not bent that way.
the 1st thing wrong with it, is the size of the thing. Unless the fonts are a 1/2 inch high, I cannot read them w/o my reading glasses, and I sure can't ride a motorcycle with reading glasses on. Nor, will I wear multi-focus lenses either.

The_Chief · Nov 8, 2015

Yeah, Android Wear, like Android Auto, has its place in society and in people's lives. If it has no place in yours, that's fine. I don't have Google Glass.

Of course, that's because (a) I can't afford it and (b) it's not perfected for mass consumption yet

AZgl1500 · Nov 9, 2015

Google Glass?
guess I am still living in the woods behind the trees. don't even know what that is.

I am a steak and taters guy, I stick with the basics and use enough technology to enjoy life.
My PCs to surf the forums for Android, Goldwing motorcycles, and the latest news on who killed who down in Tulsa....
I use a trucker's BT headset to conduct phone calls, mostly because I am almost deaf and the phone's internal speaker is useless, so I use the BT and crank it way up...

Google Map gets a lot of use for me, I plan out my next bike ride.
I have 4 Garmin GPS units, one on the bike, one in each car and my old F-150...

and that about sums up my exploits....oh, I have a hand me down, Kindle Paperwhite which is the "cat's meow" for me. love it, holds over 500 books and then I can unplug the WiFi and goes for weeks w/o an advertisement.

I used to be a died in the wool, severely devoted Ham Radio operator... started that in 1958 and it sort of fell to the wayside back in 1982 when computers showed up on the scene....

mikedt · Nov 9, 2015

I saw a Google Glass in Hong Kong, in June last year. Stupidly overpriced and of rather limited use in this part of the world. BTW I saw a Goldwing yesterday, I noted it because I don't usually see many of those either.

...large imported motorcycles are quite a rare sight. On the other hand we have a heck of a lot of small domestically produced motorcycles, and trikes as well. :thumbsupdroid:

I've seen Apple Watches in the wild, people wearing and using them. And the cheapo knock-offs as well, often worn by middle school students.

Might see an Android Wear yet thouogh.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/08/android-wear-coming-to-china/
"Android Wear is coming to China with Motorola's help"...Motorola meaning Lenovo I think.

zuben el genub · Nov 9, 2015

I am surprised about the motorcycles. We've had orientals from Taiwan, and other places ask to pose with our Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad. They said import duty was too high.

As for the watch - as long as I don't have to buy a battery for the Citizen, (you recharge it every 10 years or so) I'm not switching to something that does require a battery.

We usually explored back roads on the bike. Stopped wherever food looked good. Any other entertainment around was ignored except for museums and astronomy viewings.

Motels usually list the local eateries. I know what's available locally, and I don't want it. I'd sooner drive elsewhere but those aren't the ads you get. So I find the store I want in another town and print out the driving directions, or paste them in Colornote.
I don't use Google maps.

AZgl1500 · Nov 9, 2015

Garsh, didn't realize my pride and joy would be of much interest here.
I built a '50s era styled trailer to go with it, painted the same yellow as the bike.

I installed a lot of lights, the vertical lights on the trailer are the big semi-truck style brake lights on.
The round ones are for running lights (dim) and Turn Signal only ( brighter or used to be stop/signal )
When I 1st bought the 2002 GL1800 and brought it home, my daughter immediately named it 'Big Bird', so now there is a Big Bird stuff toy that always rides on the trailer looking back to see where we have been. When I go past a bunch of very young kids, they really get a kick out of it.

Slug · Nov 9, 2015

To get back on topic...

electricpete said:
Why would Apple watch be so much more popular than Android Wear?

Probably because the Apple Watch is marketed primarily as a fashion/lifestyle/e-peen accessory. There's also no way of telling how many of those 7m were sold to retailers rather than end-users.

Gmash · Nov 9, 2015

Maybe Apple users are more likely to be the type that are too lazy to pull their phone out of their pocket?

zuben el genub · Nov 10, 2015

Never mind the watch - how is Apple going against Fitbit? Can you use both a watch and a Fitbit at the same time?

mikedt · Nov 10, 2015

How easily available is Android Wear? Can you buy them from carrier stores and/or regular brick'n'mortar tech stores, like Best Buy, Currys, etc. Apple Watch probably see them at every Apple Store and authorized retailer, plus also public product awareness from the popular press and mass media etc, rather than just techy sites or forums, which seems to be the case for Android Wear AFAICT. I've never seen an Android Wear for real of course, only read about them.

Thinking of my father who unintentionally genericizes trademarks, his "iPad" is actually a Samsung Tab, etc. Any smart watch is an "Apple Watch" probably.

glc · Nov 10, 2015

Target carries many smart watches for both iOS and Android.

AZgl1500 · Nov 10, 2015

glc said:
Target carries many smart watches for both iOS and Android.

Target? what is Target :rolleyes:

Have not graced their doors in over a decade.

Slug · Nov 10, 2015

zuben el genub said:
Can you use both a watch and a Fitbit at the same time?

You can on Android.

mikedt said:
How easily available is Android Wear? Can you buy them from carrier stores and/or regular brick'n'mortar tech stores, like Best Buy, Currys, etc?

Carrier stores? Don't be daft.... no SIM, no profit. Other more general outlets, sure.

Gmash · Nov 10, 2015

zuben el genub said:
Never mind the watch - how is Apple going against Fitbit? Can you use both a watch and a Fitbit at the same time?

I'm sure there are apps for the watch that would make the Fitbit redundant.

007shark · Nov 10, 2015

I wear a dumb watch. It shows me the date and time which is all I need on my wrist. The only appealing smartwatches to me are $350. A lot of money for something that will be obsolete in a couple of years by how fast technology is moving. I can buy another Citizen watch for that money and have it and use it for a lifetime.

Michael Shaw · Nov 10, 2015

I think it's because people want the status of owning an Apple Watch. Think about it, celebrities such as Beyoncé were shown wearing the watch, which adds to the status symbol craze. Apple likes to make their customers believe that they need every device they make, no matter how expensive it is.

dan330 · Nov 19, 2015

2 million android watches VS 7 million apple watches?

with all the different makers of android watches... and versions of each...
and only 2 million?? something don't add up

Stuntman · Nov 20, 2015

Brand name.

mikedt · Nov 20, 2015

dan330 said:
2 million android watches VS 7 million apple watches?

with all the different makers of android watches... and versions of each...
and only 2 million?? something don't add up

I would suspect a good percentage of those Apple sales are here in China, and I've actually seen them in the wild, people wearing them. Of course there's no Android Wear here, and so smart-watches are either proprietary, Samsung smart-watch requires a Samsung phone etc, or cheapo that depends on some crappy app being installed on the phone.

dan330 · Dec 1, 2015

what I am sayin is... 2 million sold.. spread over many manufactures and years...
it don't add up.. there would be a mass exit of makers!

Why would Apple watch sales blow away Android Wear watch sales?

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