Smartwatch makers have some work to do in the public relations department. According to a new survey of about 2,000 Business Insider readers, smartwatches appeal to only a minority of potential buyers.
What’s especially interesting is why people aren’t interested. Just over half of those who don’t plan to buy a smartwatch said it’s because they “don’t see the point” in owning one.
Yet another 13 percent said they wouldn’t buy one because they “don’t like wearing a watch.” And my favorite: Seven percent said that “all smartwatches I have seen are ugly.”
It’s kind of gloomy news for one of the most buzzed-about new product launches coming in 2015. The global survey of a target market for smartwatches, or “young, affluent professionals,” was conducted by BI Intelligence in October.
Only a fifth of respondents said they were interested in buying one to pair with their phone. Benefits to owning one included the device’s ability to channel useful content, and health and fitness-tracking info. But, as BI points out, unless some “killer apps” are developed for smartwatches and “until consumers see a clear reason why smartwatches will improve their lives and productivity, the smartwatch category will remain small.”
In good news, if you’re one of the few who slaps down thousands to buy a gold Apple Watch next spring, you’ll probably be the only person around with one for a while. Well, you and Karl Lagerfeld.
