Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Apple Watch Will Drive 2015 Wearables Growth, Says Canalys

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    February 12, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      wearables growth

      Android Wearable sales in 2014 weren’t the big hit that was expected so far, but in 2015, that will change after the Apple Watch goes on sale to consumers and drives a new frenzy in expected sales around the world.

      In 2014, Android Wear device shipments hit 720,000 units globally, out of some 4.6 million smart wearable bands that were shipped, according to a new Feb. 11 report from analyst firm Canalys.

      Those 720,000 sales were disappointing to vendors, Chris Jones, a Canalys vice president and analyst, told eWEEK. Android Wear was new in 2014, having been announced last spring and then having some of its first devices displayed at the Google I/O developer’s conference last June. The first Android Wear devices hit the markets soon after.

      “The hardware was not that impressive to start,” including the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live smartwatch, said Jones. “They looked rushed in terms of design.”

      As evidence of that, LG quickly replaced the original G Watch with its G Watch R, according to Jones. “The Motorola Moto 360 got the most favorable reaction at first in terms of design, but Motorola was under severe supply constraints” and couldn’t build enough to meet demand, hurting its overall sales. “Most people were slightly disappointed with the first designs.”

      And part of the slow consumer reaction was due to the Android Wear platform itself, said Jones. “We do believe that there’s a lot of work to do with Android Wear as well. We do believe that Google knows what to do to improve this.”

      One issue is that Android Wear devices today focus primarily on notifications that reflect what is happening on a user’s smartphone, said Jones, but those notifications don’t go far enough.

      “We don’t think that’s enough for consumers to go out and buy one of these devices today,” he said. “The devices need to do more than that. Just showing phone notifications on your wrist is not enough.”

      What will change this situation, he said, is the arrival of the Apple Watch in April, with its built-in emphasis on health and wellness apps and information. “We do believe that the Apple watch will reflect this. It will bring the attention about the devices to a bigger audience.”

      Apple is also likely to market the new product in many more countries around the world, which will further drive demand for wearables, he said. “We all know that Apple is going to market this in their usual fashion, with a big launch and a lot of marketing. It will bring the devices to the attention of a broader audience. It will drive others to do better things.”

      The wearables market will be “kick-started with the arrival of the Apple watch, even though everyone doesn’t have an Apple phone,” he said.

      By the end of the year, Canalys expects Apple to be the global leader in the wearables market, he said. And that market will grow substantially, to probably several times the 4.6 million wearable bands sold in 2014, said Jones.

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×