Watches have always been a medium to check the time or as a fashion icon. There have been watches capable of doing much more than that, but they didn’t really focus towards mass consumers. It was only since 2012 that smartwatches started getting popular when Nike released its “Fuel Band.” It tracked your steps, earning you Fuel Points throughout the day. It also offered automatic syncing using Bluetooth. A year later, Sony released its smartwatch with an actual screen. Since then development in the smartwatch department increased rapidly and, now it seems to have gone downhill with fewer people interested in them.
The primary reason why I believe the overall sales are going down is that, well, it’s not a requirement, need or necessity. Our phone does all of the work, and the watch is just an extension. Most of the time, they need to be connected to an to your phone wich has internet access in order to operate at full capacity. They do look cool on your wrist, but there’s barely anything it can do that your smartphone can’t. How much busy could you even be, so much so that you can’t even reach for your phone when you get a notification? It’s just a small addition to your tech arsenal without having many purposes of its own. Hence, most people don’t find it to be a significant piece of tech to own. In other words, It’s something we all can live without.
Ever since smartwatches started getting popular, I always thought of it as a techie’s toy. I truly believed in the fact, and in my opinion, it is somewhat right. Most people don’t even know about smartwatches, and well even if they do, they aren’t actually interested in it. Whereas for a tech enthusiast, it’s certainly something to be excited about. Most of the people I’ve seen with a smartwatch are either tech nerds like me or fitness junkies who like to count their daily steps and sleep cycle. Except for that, there aren’t many people wearing a smartwatch. It’s very much this contemporary condition due to which that the market for this tech is not that broad.
Although many people don’t find smartwatches useful, I think it’d be different if they were cheaper. More people would consider buying one and trying it out. The good ones cost half as much as our phones, in fact, if you’re getting an Apple watch, it’s even more than that! And for people who’re rocking a budget phone, a smartwatch will probably cost them just as much as their phone. That’s a lot of money in for people who just want to give it a try.
What do I think about smartwatches from my personal use? Well, I’ve been on a Pebble Time for more than a year and just recently got a Pebble 2. Sure, the Pebble company is now dead, but it’s still one of my favorites. Out of all the things it has to offer, I’d say the most important one for me are the notifications. Believe it or not, my phone’s ringer has been on silent ever since I got the Pebble Time back in 2015. That’s how good it is with notifications. With this and a week long battery life, my experience with smartwatches has been great, and I hope people give it a second thought.
