Experts slam the technology as 'gimmicky and pointless' with only 5% of customers interested in buying it
During the unveiling in Berlin, the Korean firm's CEO JK Shin exclaimed that he believed the chunky watch could become a 'fashion statement' and would revolutionise how people interact with their phones.
Yet despite the hype and bold claims the device has left many experts and consumers underwhelmed.
Samsung's CEO JK Shin exclaimed that he believed the chunky Galaxy Gear watch could become a 'fashion statement' - the smartwatch is available in six colours, pictured - and would revolutionise how people react with their phones, yet experts have been left underwhelmed
Marc Flores, Mobile Device Editor at TechRadar described the voice-activated watch, pictured to scale next to a traditional watch, as gimmicky and pointless, saying: 'I have no desire to put anything on my wrist that does more than tell me the time and date'. Technology expert Mark Prigg described it as 'stupidly big'
The speaker and microphone are positioned on the Galaxy Gear, pictured, so it can be used like a regular phone
Colin White, Managing Director of SellMyMobile.com told MailOnline: 'The Galaxy Gear looks the part but is a complete let down from a technical aspect.
'The 315mAh battery will need to be charged every 24 hours, and the device is partner reliant so you can’t use it on any other Android run Smartphone other than a Samsung.'
He added that the ball is now in Apple's court next Tuesday.
Jason Jenkins, editor of CNET UK, believes the concept of a smartwatch is a game changer but that it may not be worth snapping up a Gear when it becomes available: 'You don't need Samsung's smartwatch, but in a year or two we'll all have something like it.
'It's pretty simple to use and not as chunky as we were expecting. But it's not perfect.'
Although Samsung didn't announce a UK price for the Galaxy Gear, it did reveal it would cost $299 (£190) in the U.S.
Nitin Bhas, senior analyst at Juniper Research said: 'In reality, the smart watch market represents a segment waiting for a killer-application, thereby lacking mass-market appeal.
'While Samsung has managed to add in some additional functionalities plus a camera compared to existing products in the market, we still do not believe that they have managed to bring out a mass market product.
'The device is also pricey and will only further limit its adoption.'
A survey by CCS Insight carried out by On Drive Research discovered that although 65 per cent of people were aware of smartwatches, less than five per cent of people asked either owned a similar device or were interested in buying one.
Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch is pictured next to the Korean' firms latest Galaxy Note 3 phablet. The watch will only be compatible with the phablet from launch, although software updates will expand this compatibility to other Samsung phones - a decision that has been criticised for not being inclusive enough to attract people to buy it
And the biggest turn off for those not interested in the technology was quoted as price.
Ben Wood, chief of research at CSS Insight said: 'Given many consumers are used to getting their smartphones 'free' with a contract, that's a hefty sum to pay on top.'
Sony, which announced its own version of the technology called Smartwatch 2 earlier this year, revealed at the IFA conference in Berlin that the device would go on sale at the end of the year and would cost £149.99 - potentially £50 cheaper than Samsung's model.
Colin White, managing director of SellMyMobile.com 'The Galaxy Gear (picutred) looks the part but is a complete let down from a technical aspect'
The Galaxy Gear will also only work with the Galaxy Note 3 phablet from launch, before software updates add the Galaxy S3 and S4 in October.
White, from Sellmymobile.com, has criticised this decision, which restricts how many people can buy and use the device.
Sony's device, alternatively, will work with 'most Android phones', which increases its appeal further, plus, anyone who pre-orders Sony's new Xperia Z1 phone will get the Smartwatch 2 for free from network operator EE.
CSS Insight's research also found that 40 per cent of people who own devices already, such as the Pebble smartwatch and wearable fitness trackers, got 'bored' of the gadgets quickly, suggesting the same fate may lie for Samsung, and other company's, smartwatches.
In reference to the design, Marc Flores, Mobile Device Editor at TechRadar described the technology as gimmicky and pointless, saying: 'I have no desire to put anything on my wrist that does more than tell me the time and date. Why do I want a camera on my watch? Why do I need to access the internet from my wrist? What could I possibly do on a smart watch that I couldn't do on a smartphone?'
He continued that smartwatches have never sold well and he doesn't expect the Galaxy Gear to do any better.
Gartner analysts agree. Annette Zimmermann from the analyst firm told CNBC: 'In Gartner's device forecast we have an assumption built into our model that says that less than 3 percent of consumers replacing their smartphone will replace it with a smartwatch in 2017.'
While fellow Gartner colleague Roberta Cozza told MailOnline: 'So far consumer demand for products like smartwatches has been limited, Samsung and Galaxy are two strong brands and Samsung will evolve this category, but we expect in general that the new smart watches entering the market will still likely appeal to early adopters of technology first.'
Sony's Smartwatch 2, pictured, was shown off at a Sony event ahead of Samsung's conference at IFA in Germany. Research claims price will be the main barrier to people buying the technology, which may explain why EE is offering customers who pre-order the Xperia Z1 directly the device - worth £149.99 - for free
Sony's SmartWatch 2, pictured, will be available in the UK from the end of September
Ben Wood from CSS Insight continued: 'Manufacturers have to urgently address how to expand their appeal beyond the usual 'geek niche' [of male technology fans] to ensure they don't end up just being a flash in the pan.'
This theory was bolstered by the fact social media analysts, We Are Social found that during the Samsung event, 81 per cent of comments were from males, while 19 per cent were from females.
Will Findlater, editor at Stuff magazine told MailOnline: 'The Galaxy Gear is a marvel of engineering but is confused about what it wants to be.
'It packs too much power to only be a companion device to your phone, but lacks the connectivity to make it a useful standalone device.'
Other experts also highlighted the potential security risks of the device.
Vince Arneja, vice president of product management at Arxan Technologies said: 'Although Samsung’s new smartwatch is new in terms of wearable technology, it is in essence another example of a connected device and therefore will be subject to similar hacks and attacks we’ve seen recently on mobile devices, tablets, automobiles and appliances.'
A recent survey by security firm AVG of 5,000 consumers found that 69 per cent felt wearable technology will become more intrusive as it develops and were concerned about privacy.
Yet it's not all doom and gloom, Matthew Finnie, from cloud storage experts Interoute said that with smartwatches like the Galaxy Gear, the 'opportunities are endless' and claims it won't just appeal to technology fans, but 'could benefit continuous health monitoring, or enable our ageing population to be cared for remotely at home rather than in a care home.'
And people who have actually handled the device are more positive.
Brian Blair from Wedge Partners told Bloomberg said the device 'was absolutely impressive' adding: 'I wasn't expecting to see such a beautiful screen. It's very elegantly designed, a very nice finish but what's really impressive is the superAMOLED screen.
'It definitely has a wow factor and it has a nice capacitive touchscreen and very smooth applications.'
HOW DID SOCIAL MEDIA REACT TO THE SAMSUNG SMARTWATCH?
Figures from social media analysts We Are Social found that on launch day, the Galaxy Gear received 58,000 mentions on Twitter, blogs and forums.
The Galaxy Note 3 received 29,900 and references to Unpacked - the name of the Samsung event - totalled 5,400.
The #galaxygear hashtag got 5,090 mentions. Before the event there were 140,000 mentions for the Galaxy S4.
During the Unpacked event, We Are Social has created a gender breakdown of those who mentioned the conference.
Based on a sample of 11,931 Twitter handles, 81 per cent were male while 19 per cent were female.
The overall reaction on social media to the device was:
• Unimpressed: 41 per cent
• Innovative: 49 per cent
• General Positive Reaction: 10 per cent
Continuing on the subject of apps, Scott Sage from venture capital firm DFJ Esprit: 'There is no doubt that Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is going to cause a shift in the wearable tech industry.
'Analysts have estimated that the industry is already worth $3-5 billion today and in the next three years could be worth up to $50 billion. That is an incredible wave to ride if you are Samsung.'
'But what is more interesting is the impact this will have on the apps that we use. 'Mobile has completely changed social – the social web was about context and social mobile is about interaction ie games, events and real time, albeit ephemeral, communication.'
'Just one small example, but I’m excited to see that they have launched with Evernote.
'This will radically change how I keep notes on everything from new startups that I meet, a bottle of wine that I tried at dinner that I want to remember and reading a new recipe on my wrist as I cook for my wife.'
Following the launch, Vouchercodes Pro saw 11 per cent of the entire searches on its website for Samsung's smartwatch.
'While Samsung has managed to add in some additional functionalities plus a camera compared to existing products in the market, we still do not believe that they have managed to bring out a mass market product.
ReplyDeletegta 5 apk