Is Android Wear DOA?

[SquireSCA]

I think that Android Wear and smart watches are a cool concept, but the reality is that they are very limited in their function and appeal.

Every phone maker is looking for the next big cash cow. Everyone has a smartphone now, so that market is slowing down. The tablet market was the next big thing, and while sales are still strong, they will soon hit market saturation with that as well. They come out with "new" products every few months, but they are simply slightly upgraded versions of what you already own, so the appeal isn't there for most consumers unless something breaks and you need a new one.

So now they are trying to push and hype up wearables... How many devices do you need? You have a home PC or laptop. You have a tablet. You have a phablet. And now you have to wear a watch to talk to the phone that's so "inconveniently" in your pocket? As if pulling your phone out and reading a message is a struggle?

"But Dave, what if I am in a meeting and a message comes in?"

You have to look at your watch and swipe it away anyway. People know what a smartwatch is now, you aren't fooling your boss. LOL You can't respond to the message without talking to your watch, so you have to grab your phone to reply anyway... Now getting a text message or email takes 2 separate devices to interact with? That's progress?

The smartphone was a great form factor, taking us to a new era in personal computing and communication. The tablet, same thing.

I just don't see the smartphone having that impact. If you make it large enough and functional enough to make it worth the cost and worth even having, it will be too big to be a decent watch. And vice versa...

It will be a neat gadget, with a very limited, niche appeal.

Me personally, I really wanted to get into the smartphone thing. I wanted it to be awesome. But when I really researched it, I realized that the novelty of "Hey, I have Android on my watch!" would wear off in a few hours and I would be sitting there with a clunky watch that had very limited functions and that in some ways added extra steps and processes to daily routines and just took $250 out of my checking account...

 

[mountainbikermark]

I think that Android Wear and smart watches are a cool concept, but the reality is that they are very limited in their function and appeal.

Every phone maker is looking for the next big cash cow. Everyone has a smartphone now, so that market is slowing down. The tablet market was the next big thing, and while sales are still strong, they will soon hit market saturation with that as well. They come out with "new" products every few months, but they are simply slightly upgraded versions of what you already own, so the appeal isn't there for most consumers unless something breaks and you need a new one.

So now they are trying to push and hype up wearables... How many devices do you need? You have a home PC or laptop. You have a tablet. You have a phablet. And now you have to wear a watch to talk to the phone that's so "inconveniently" in your pocket? As if pulling your phone out and reading a message is a struggle?

"But Dave, what if I am in a meeting and a message comes in?"

You have to look at your watch and swipe it away anyway. People know what a smartwatch is now, you aren't fooling your boss. LOL You can't respond to the message without talking to your watch, so you have to grab your phone to reply anyway... Now getting a text message or email takes 2 separate devices to interact with? That's progress?

The smartphone was a great form factor, taking us to a new era in personal computing and communication. The tablet, same thing.

I just don't see the smartphone having that impact. If you make it large enough and functional enough to make it worth the cost and worth even having, it will be too big to be a decent watch. And vice versa...

It will be a neat gadget, with a very limited, niche appeal.

Me personally, I really wanted to get into the smartphone thing. I wanted it to be awesome. But when I really researched it, I realized that the novelty of "Hey, I have Android on my watch!" would wear off in a few hours and I would be sitting there with a clunky watch that had very limited functions and that in some ways added extra steps and processes to daily routines and just took $250 out of my checking account...

For me it's a bit more than a niche. Having my phone on my person is often more of a hassle than for many, not even allowed when on the floor at work.
As far as speaking a reply during a meeting, that's right up there with pulling your phone out and replying on its keyboard, a distraction to others at best and very unbusinesslike.
I totally agree they are VERY limited in what they can do at the moment and for many just a gimmick at this point but so was Bluetooth connectivity around the turn of the century, was thought to never morph into what it's used for today. At that time portable phone calls were its only claim to fame. It was European and Asian markets that grabbed the technology and ran forward with it, brining it to a main stay in portable electronics and embedded in many vehicles as well.
I also totally agree that right now it seems manufacturers, especially Samsung, are grasping at revenue straws looking for a new cash cow but I also believe HTC might be onto something by desiring their watch os be cross platform capable. Not everyone wants Android phones and not everyone wants Apple phones BUT as the watch morphs into more than just a notifier and fitness band to have the ability for it to do something that the masses will grab hold of, no matter what their phone of choice, could actually be a win nobody saw coming, the way text messaging revenue enhancement was before the youth got their mitts on it.
While I agree with the statements for now I don't see the same bleak future as many because I'm old enough to remember life before microwave ovens, the internet, and portable points, especially those small enough to fit in any pocket.

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