Tag: Apple Watch

People in the country have yet to be convinced that they will be impressed with ownership of wearables.

According to the results of a recent study, people across the United Kingdom have yet to warm to wearable technology to the point that they will believe that their lives will be changed enough by these gadgets that it will be worth actually buying them.

In fact, the research indicated that 1 in 10 consumers feel that wearables will make their daily lives more challenging.

While people in the United Kingdom have been quick to embrace many other forms of technology, as smartphones penetration is tremendous there, but wearable technology has failed to win over that population, as of yet. This is the case, regardless of the fact that some of the most beloved brands, including Apple, have launched or even rolled out their own gadgets. Moreover, people in the U.K. aren’t even convinced by collaborations with some of the most prominent designers.

Only 25 percent of British people feel that their daily lives would be improved by wearable technology.

The survey was held by British Gas on behalf of Hive and it involved the participation of 2,000 people. It has arrived at the same time that the British Government revealed that it would be making investments worth several million pounds toward automatic vehicles and devices for connected homes. Clearly, the British people don’t hesitate to look to the future of tech, but smartwatches simply don’t appear to be on this list.

The 25 percent of people who felt that their day to day lives would be improved by wearables represented a much lower figure than those who were on board with connected home devices. A much more notable 56 percent felt that connected home devices would change their lives . Moreover, 43 percent feel that artificial intelligence would help to make their daily lives more simple. About 30 percent of people felt that driverless cars and 3D printers would enhance their everyday lives.

With the high expectations for all of these other types of tech, it is interesting that smartwatches and other types of wearable technology have not managed to show their appeal to this same population.

As the Apple Watch prepares to be shipped, other wearables brands such as Nike and Jawbone are being taken down.

Apple Stores are now starting to prepare for the addition of the brand’s own smartwatches and, as they do, they are taking wearables from the competition – such as Jawbone and Nike – down from their shelves.

According to reports, health oriented wristbands are among the wearables no longer available at the Apple Store.

The Apple Stores in certain major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Palo Alto are reported to have taken down smartwatches and fitness bands from other brands as they prep for the addition of the Apple Watch. The Spring Forward Event, last week, revealed that advance orders of the device will be available as of April 10, and the wearables will actually be available for immediate purchase starting on April 24.

These smartwatches will be available at a range of prices, starting as “low” as $349, for the entry-level device.

The Apple Watch was first unveiled at an event back in September 2014. The Sport version of this wearable technology starts at $349, but there is an Edition version that is plated in any of three types of gold and that will be available with a massive $10,000 price tag.

While it may make sense that other devices that present direct competition to this wearable technology have been taken down in favor of exclusively showcasing the Apple Watch, many are baffled by the decision to remove the Nike+ FuelBand and the Jawbone device. These are fitness trackers and don’t provide nearly the range of different features that will be offered by the smartwatch.

Moreover, Nike announced, last year, that it was going to be stepping out of its FuelBand focus and that it would be placing a greater level of attention on its software development. It should also be pointed out that Ben Shaffer, the design director from Nike+ FuelBand, was hired by Apple in 2013, as was the developer of that device, Jay Blahnik.

Whatever the reason, it does appear that the market for smartwatches is about to become much more fierce than it has been, until now.