back to article Got an Android Wear gizmo? Yeah, you and '719,999 other people'

Last year, makers of Android Wear devices shipped just 720,000 units, according to analyst house Canalys. The firm's researchers have gazed into their crystal balls, and reckon Google's operating system was able to capture only a small share of the 4.6 million wearable bands and smartwatches shipped last year, presumably …

  1. Thorne

    Apple who?

    "The Android platform will have to significantly improve its sales if it wants to compete with Apple."

    Screw Apple. If Hololens is half as awesome as it looks in the videos, then it's the new benchmark to beat.

    1. Kunari

      Re: Apple who?

      The Hololens is a interesting tech but I don't see it over-taking smartwatches for a bit yet. Mostly since it's not released and second it'll take time for it to grow into it's own. As for Apple's watch, the Apple fans will make it a big success, it's not called the Apple Cult for nothing. Android Wear will likely grow but slower.

      I could see Google Glass 2.0 and MS Hololens being the next big things in wearables. I don't doubt that Apple has some secret project like it too.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Apple who?

        Smartwatches and Hololens are in two completely different markets so you really can't compare the two. Yes, you "wear" them both, but one you'd wear all or most of the time, the other would see limited use which makes them very different in usage. Unless there will end up being a lot of people wearing Hololens all the time when they're out in public ... what will we call them ... Holoholes? Assholos?

        They do have one thing in common. Both are markets that are almost nonexistent right now, but a lot of fanboys think they'll become major hits despite never having owned one and ascribing a lot of their own wishes and hopes on the capabilities they'll eventually offer.

        I think Glass is one and done. Google blew the intro because their engineers don't understand they are geeks, not normal people, and designing a product that only a geek would love and foisting it on the world had a fairly predictable reaction. The name is tarnished now, if they want to continue with the line it'll need a new name. Personally I think they'll bury it like they have buried so many other products that never left the 'beta' stage.

        1. ratfox

          Re: Apple who?

          designing a product that only a geek would love and foisting it on the world had a fairly predictable reaction

          Which is why they tried their hardest to make it a consumer product. If they had designed it for geeks, they'd have gone for an augmented reality thing covering half your face.

          There are various reasons Glass was not successful, mostly that it does little that is really useful; but "being designed for geeks" was not one of them.

      2. Thorne

        Re: Apple who?

        " I don't see it over-taking smart watches for a bit yet"

        There is nothing to overtake with smart watches. They really haven't kicked off.

        As for Apple's iwatch, it's not shiny enough. Looks just like a normal watch. What's the point of buying wank gear if nobody notices your iWatch?

    2. DrXym

      Re: Apple who?

      Hololens might gain some popularity as a console / PC gaming peripheral or for people who want to watch movies at home or certain job roles (e.g. order fulfillment in a warehouse).

      But do you really think you'll ever see people taking to the gym, or walking around in public with them? If not you haven't been paying attention to the whole Google Glass debacle. Hololens may as well have "twat" written on it for the effect it conveys on the wearer. Walking around with one of these in public is an invitation to be punched in the face and/or have it stolen.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Apple who?

      And how much do you think Hololens is going to cost?

      1. Thorne

        Re: Apple who?

        "And how much do you think Hololens is going to cost?"

        Estimates say just over $300US but add the Australia tax to it so $1200AUD here..........

  2. Mr.Mischief

    Canalys .. without the C...ys

    These guys seem to have their heads up so far up Apples backside it's difficult to say where they end and Apple begins.

    They publish a number, can't show their sources and praise vapor ware. Very insightful.

  3. Paul J Turner

    "the Apple Watch will offer leading energy efficiency"

    Over a watch with an e-ink display? I doubt it.

    1. DrXym

      Re: "the Apple Watch will offer leading energy efficiency"

      I doubt the Apple iWatch will be any different in terms of power draw to any other "smart" watch that insists on packing a CPU & OLED display into the form factor. People will be lucky if it lasts 30 hours between charges and probably less than that.

  4. Champ

    But the winner is...

    ...the Pebble, which just passed the 1 million mark

  5. big_D Silver badge

    Flexible

    The problem with Google Wear and the Apple Watch is that they are restricted to one platform.

    I have a Windows Phone, an Android and an iPhone and I switch regularly between them. If the smartphone can't work seamlessly with all platforms, I'm just not interested.

  6. MrWibble

    "Apple made the right decisions with its WatchKit software development kit to maximize battery life for the platform, and the Apple Watch will offer leading energy efficiency"

    Yet, even an Apple fan site says:

    "Our sources say that Apple is targeting 2.5 hours of “heavy” application use, such as processor-intensive gameplay, or 3.5 hours of standard app use. Interestingly, Apple expects to see better battery life when using the Watch’s fitness tracking software, which is targeted for nearly 4 hours of straight exercise tracking on a single charge."

    http://9to5mac.com/2015/01/22/apple-targets-for-apple-watch-battery-life-revealed-a5-caliber-cpu-inside/

    Which sucks just as much as Android Wear does!

    1. David Lawton

      With the exception of the novelty factor when new, do you really think you will be using the watch for 3.5 hours of constant use a day? The watch is designed more for glances so you real usage will end up being a few minutes an hour.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Peak Android Wear?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Immature technology

    Think I'll wait for a few things to be addressed before I spring for a wearable:

    Battery life,

    size, galaxy gear is a chunky beast,

    privacy, don't want my medical details passed to spam united or worse... marketing minions,

    functionallity, a lot of ideas for different functions are being sold, all of which may or may not work well,

    And lastly, price. I'm a cheap sod who likes the things I buy to work and to keep on working long past its support lifetime. On immature kit features have a tendency to disappear, post update.

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