Published in Mobiles

Study: One in three UK wearable owners ditch their devices

by on24 October 2014



In a matter of months

Competition in the wearable space is heating up, with a number of new smartwatches hitting the market over the next couple of months, but a new study is ready to rain on the wearable parade.

According to retail tracking firm GfK, as many as one third of British consumers who bought first generation wearables decided to ditch them within six months of buying them. This is a relatively high figure, as consumers do not tend to pass on their new toys in a matter of months.

The survey covered 1,000 people and found that many of them were not buying smartwatches. The majority (39%) bought cheaper fitness trackers, while fully fledged smartwatches accounted for 11% of the market.

There is a caveat though, as first generation smartwatches were anything but mature and the new generation, embodied in the Moto 360, Apple Watch and LG G Watch R, is about to add more choice and functionality. GfK expects the smartwatch market to get a boost as soon as the Apple Watch goes on sale.

The survey found that 26% of all wearables in the wild today are in fact wrist computers, while action cameras make up 24% of all wearables.

GfK estimates that a total of 420,000 wearable devices were sold or given away to UK consumers this year. The firm identified high prices as the biggest hurdle to mainstream adoption, with 28% of respondents saying that price is their primary consideration.

Via The Guardian

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