After the announcement of Samsung’s smart watch … Qualcomm joins the bandwagon and will be producing “Smart” watches of their own. The competition is already HOT … where is Apple in all of this?
“Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm both unveiled their smartwatches on September 4, expanding into the wearable device market. According to IHS, global smartwatch shipments will amount to 268,000 units in 2013, and then rise to 2.6 million units in 2014. In the longer term, shipments are expected to reach much higher volumes, with units rising to nearly 39 million units in 2018, said IHS.”
“Based on the features announced today, it appears that Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch is a prototype masquerading as a commercial product – and because of that, it is unlikely to be successful in the market,” said Ian Fogg, director for mobile and telecoms at IHS. “The device exhibits multiple shortcomings, including a high price tag, a short battery life, its status as a companion device and its limited compatibility. The bottom line is the Galaxy Gear smartwatch probably will not succeed in the market and Samsung will need to try again with a more refined product.”
At a price of US$299, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch is more expensive than many smartphones, IHS observed. This will limit the product’s appeal in the market, Fogg predicted.”
Source: Digitimes
