Apple already took 75 percent of the smartwatch market
The official numbers for Apple Watch sales are still a mystery. But, according to a report by research firm Strategy Analytics, the Cupertino company shipped an estimated 4 million units during the second quarter of 2015. As a result, Apple’s already captured 75 percent of the smartwatch marketshare across the world, despite only being available since late April. Strategy Analytics also points out that, thanks mostly to the Watch, global smartwatch shipments saw a remarkable 457 percent growth year-over-year. Meanwhile, Samsung was the big loser in Q2 2015, as it fell to second place and is said to have shipped a mere 0.4 million devices during that timeframe.
While Apple hasn’t been clear-cut about how its Watch business is doing, Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri did reveal yesterday that the product was responsible for around a billion dollars in quarterly sales. A billion dollars doesn’t sound half-bad, sure, but wouldn’t it be much better if Apple just told us how many wrist wearables it has sold so far?
Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Wearables, Apple
Source: Strategy Analytics
The best of Public Access Vol. 6: Apple Watch edition
It’s unlikely we’ll get the real dirt on Apple Watch sales anytime soon, but that hasn’t stopped analysts, journalists and basically anyone with a pulse from speculating about the wearable’s potential success or failure. In the leadup to Apple’s latest earnings report, we heard news of declining adoption rates from Fast Company and developer disinterest from The New York Times. Since everyone seems to be watching the Watch, we asked you to weigh in on the future of the wrist-worn category and you delivered. Brandon Côté envisioned a wearable future that mirrors Ender’s Game while Carl Zetie suggested that it’s a largely a product category without a problem to solve.
While all eyes are on Apple today, next week we’ll be watching Motorola as it prepares to unveil its latest flagship smartphones. The Moto X is a far cry from the first commercially available mobile phone, the DynaTAC 8000x, but Motorola’s impact on the world of mobile technology is undeniable. What would the world look like without cellphones today? This week we want you to consider the biggest technological advancements of the last 50 years and imagine where we’d be without them today.
Selfie sticks anyone?
P.S. The homepage is coming soon! in the meantime you can check out the latest from Public Access right here. Not a member? Apply, and keep the weird alive.
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“So goodbye early 2000s with your clunky laptops, nice knowing you 2010s with your smartphones, but can’t wait to meet you 2020! The decade when my watch is my personal computer, and instead of capacitive glass as an input, I use my vocal chords and ear canal-no biohacking involved!”
Read the rest of What’s a wearable for? To augment yourself, of course by Brandon Côté
“The darkest view of all, though, is that the problem is neither the technology nor the app. The problem may be that wearables are a technology still looking for a problem to solve.”
Read the rest of The Unwearable Truth by Carl Zetie
Your Dose of Inspiration
A world without smartphones …
While all eyes are on Apple today, next week we’ll be watching Motorola as it prepares to unveil its latest flagship smartphones. The Moto X is a far cry from the first commercially available mobile phone, the DynaTAC 8000x, but Motorola’s impact on the world of mobile technology is undeniable. What would the world look like without cellphones today? This week we want you to consider the biggest technological advancement of the last 50 years — smartphones? the World Wide Web? online dating? — and imagine where we’d be without it today.
How-to: Stay secure online
With the recent hacking of infidelity enabler Ashley Madison, we’re reminded again of how precarious online privacy really is. Share your best tips and tricks for staying secure online.
Filed under: Announcements, Wearables, Apple
Tim Cook: Apple Watch Sales ‘Exceeded Expectations’
As expected, Apple did not share specific sales numbers on the Apple Watch during its third quarter earnings call, but Apple CEO Tim Cook did shed some light on how well the Apple Watch did during its first quarter of availability. According to Cook, Apple Watch sales “exceeded expectations” despite supply continuing to trail demand at the end of the quarter. “We feel really great about how we did,” he said.
Cook also pointed out that Apple Watch sales during their first few months of availability were higher than sales of the original iPad and iPhone when those devices first became available for sale. June sales, he said, were higher than those in April or May.
Apple includes the Apple Watch in its “Other Products” category in an effort to keep its competitors from getting a detailed look at its shipments. Other Products includes the Apple Watch, the iPod, the Apple TV, and accessories like Beats headphones.
During the third quarter of 2015, the Other Products category saw $2.6 billion in revenue, up from $1.7 billion during the second quarter of 2015, a difference of nearly a billion.
Cook said “it would not be inaccurate” to look at the sequential change or the year over year change and “assume that’s the Apple Watch revenue,” hinting that Apple Watch revenue in the quarter hovered around $1 billion or higher. Apple CFO Luca Maestri made a similar statement to the Associated Press, stating revenue from the Apple Watch amounted to “well over” the $952 million increase between the two quarters. Both Maestri and Cook also pointed out that iPod and accessory sales, which are also included in the category, are shrinking.
Aside from analyst estimates that range from an estimated 2.85 million sales to 5.7 million, the $1 billion revenue difference between Q2 and Q3 is the closest we’ve come to learning how many devices Apple sold.
Cook went on to say that beyond the “very good news in sales,” Apple is excited about how the Apple Watch is positioned for the long term. There are now 8,500 apps available for the device, and the company is poised to release watchOS 2 in the fall, which will bring native apps and performance improvements. “We believe the possibilities for Apple watch are enormous,” said Cook.
iPhones and China fuel Apple’s growth, not the Watch
It’s that time again – Apple just dropped its Q3 2015 earnings and despite missing Wall Street’s always-lofty expectations, it’s been a solid three months of growth thanks to the two usual suspects. Say it with us now, folks: It’s all thanks to the iPhone and China. (If you’re the sort who cares, Apple just missed most Wall Street estimates by posting earnings of $1.85 per share.)
Just under 27 percent of the 49.6 billion dollars in revenue Apple generated in the past three months was thanks to Greater China, which is more than double the amount of the pie the country accounted for this time last year. (The addition of a ritzy, massive new Apple store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong should help wealthy mainlanders get their fix that much easier, too). Meanwhile, iPhones were still far and away the most sought after gadgets in Apple’s portfolio with 47.5 million moved in a single quarter – not quite as much as last quarter’s blowout but a big lift over the year before. To hear CEO Tim Cook tell it in the early stages of the customary earnings call, the iPhone grew at “almost three times the rate of growth of the smartphone market overall, and we gained share in all of our geographic segments.”
Meanwhile, iPad sales continued to dip for another quarter, but the Mac line is doing more than just hanging steady; it’s actually growing a little bit. Apple moved 4.7 million Macs this time, just a hair better than it did last quarter and last year’s quarter.
Oh, and then there’s the elephant in the room. There’s no such luck for anyone hoping to see Apple Watch sales numbers this quarter – Apple lumped revenues in with its “Other Products” category where the Apple TVs once-great iPods now live. Still, there’s perhaps just a little insight to be gleaned here since the category as a whole has only grown about a billion dollars since this time last quarter. It’s possible (if unlikely) that the Apple Watch drove all that growth despite the iPod’s near-irrelevance, but we’d figure some nice post-price cut Apple TV sales helped a lot too. Still, CFO Luca Maestri told the New York Times that the Watch’s first nine weeks on the market “exceeded those of the iPhone and iPad in their first nine weeks of availability.”
Update: Maestri just gave us a little more info on the Apple Watch situation, saying it was responsible for “over 100 percent” of the “Other Product” category’s growth in the quarter and offset any losses from iPod and accessory sales. That means the Watch was responsible for around a billion dollars in sales on its own, though there’s still no way to tell exactly how many units that shakes out to.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: Apple
Apple Seeds Fourth WatchOS 2 Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the fourth watchOS 2 beta to developers, build 13S5305d, just under two weeks after seeding the third watchOS 2 beta and more than a month after announcing the new operating system update at its Worldwide Developers Conference.
watchOS 2 requires iOS 9 and can be downloaded over-the-air through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General –> Software Update.
watchOS 2 is the first major update to the first version of watchOS, the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The new software brings many new features that Apple Watch developers can take advantage of, including native apps that run on the Apple Watch itself instead of the iPhone. It also allows developers to access the Taptic Engine and a number of other sensors in the Apple Watch, including the heart rate monitor, the microphone, and the accelerometer.
Along with these features for developers, which will lead to much more complex and full-featured third-party Apple Watch apps, the update introduces new watch faces (photo albums and time-lapse), third-party Complications, Time Travel for viewing upcoming events in a watch face Complication, and a Nightstand mode that’s activated when the watch is charging, displaying the time.
watchOS 2 is currently only available to registered developers who have also installed iOS 9 on their iPhones. Apple plans to release the software to the public in the fall.
Apple Watch Beats Original iPhone and iPad in Customer Satisfaction Among Early Adopters
While some critics within the tech media have heavily scrutinized the Apple Watch since its launch, new survey data shared by Techpinions suggests that the true mass market sentiment toward the wrist-worn device is overwhelmingly positive. In particular, the survey found that traditionally “non-tech” users liked the Apple Watch more than those with a closer connection to the tech industry.
According to research firm Wristly and Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin, overall customer satisfaction with the Apple Watch is 97%, which is the highest customer satisfaction rating of any previous first-generation Apple product. Wristly determined that rating by combining the “Very Satisfied/Delighted” (66%) and “Somewhat Satisfied” boxes together (31%).
The survey data is based on the Wristly Apple Watch Owner Network, a diversified panel of over a thousand Apple Watch buyers. Wristly says that it asked respondents a series of pre-qualification questions to ensure that the panel did not skew towards early adopters and instead represented a healthy range of consumers. Among those profiled, Wristly found 34% to be “tech insiders” and 53% to be “non-tech” users.
What has been fascinating about the Wristly Apple Watch Panel is how diverse it is across the adoption cycle spectrum. We have those on the bleeding edge of adoption all the way through mainstream consumers who aren’t buying it for the sake of Apple fanaticism or love of tech and gadgetry but because they saw the utility and usefulness of the product right off the bat. They are all represented in our panel.
Apple Watch customer satisfaction was found to be higher than the original iPhone and iPad, which scored 92% and 91% ratings respectively, although satisfaction levels were contrasting among different types of users. “Non-tech” users and “tech insiders” were most satisfied with the Apple Watch, while “app builders” were slightly less satisfied, with less than half choosing the “Very Satisfied” box.
Apple has not publicly disclosed any official Apple Watch sales figures to date, and will be grouping the wrist-worn device under its “Other Products” category in quarterly earnings reports. Apple Watch global sales estimates range between 2.8 million and 5.7 million ahead of the company’s third quarter fiscal results set to be announced on Tuesday at 2:00 PM Pacific.
The best of Public Access Vol. 5: Paying tribute to a gaming giant
It is with great sadness that the world mourns a man responsible for many treasured gaming memories. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who died Saturday, had a history with the company that pre-dated even Mario. In honor of Mr. Iwata and Nintendo’s cultural impact, we’re turning to the Public Access community for your tributes to the consoles, controllers and games that Iwata and co. made possible.
On a lighter, still nostalgic note, y’all continue to excite our inner-childhood geeks with reflections on your early human-machine interactions. These rememberings and an explainer on drone journalism make up the best Public Access entries of the week that was. It’s all available for you after the break, so dig in.
P.S. The homepage is coming soon! in the meantime you can check out the latest from Public Access right here. Not a member? Apply, and keep the weird alive.
Recommended Reading
“The next morning Mikey came downstairs to find me putting the last screws into the case, and soon after the computer started just fine. What he didn’t know (and what I did not volunteer) was that his computer spent half the night in pieces. I was so astonished by the ease at which the tech installed a new source of magical power into the box of witchcraft that I had to check it out for myself.”
Read the rest of Love and PCs: Your first computer memories by Richard Mackey
“While I don’t consider myself old, I feel my screen name was from some other dimension. Some other life. Although it was boring, someone out there found it (and my use of language) interesting enough to foster a connection. Sometimes I wish there was a way for me to dig up all those AOL chats just to see how far I’ve grown. I know, I would probably cringe.”
Read the rest of The Genderless Screen Name of a Curious Teen by Dorothy Santos
“Drones present a huge divide in the court of public opinion: from the arena of war to the ruins caused by natural disasters and the Hollywood cinematic space, drone technology has ushered us into the golden age of citizen journalism.”
Read the rest of Stories in the Sky: Technology and Privacy in Journalism by Miné Salkin
Your Dose of Inspiration
A tribute to Nintendo
As we reflect on the impact of the late Satoru Iwata, we’re reminded of some of our earliest and fondest gaming memories. Perhaps no other gaming company has had the same cultural impact as Nintendo. As a tribute to Mr. Iwata, we’re looking for your first and most memorable moments with the consoles, controllers and games that Iwata and Nintendo made possible.
Apple Watch Flop: What’s a wearable good for?
Earlier this week, we published a piece by our friends at Fast Company that claimed the Apple Watch is flopping due to lackluster design and limited functionality. That news came as a surprise to many, and fostered a lively debate in our comments section. While many are divided on the necessity of the entire category, one question remains: What is a smartwatch good for? Unlocking doors? Flipping pancakes? Flushing the toilet? Tell us what your dream wrist-worn device would be capable of in 500 words or less.
Filed under: Announcements, Apple, Nintendo
A Detailed Look at How the Apple Watch Functions in Water
Apple is cautious with its Apple Watch and doesn’t market the device as waterproof, instead giving it a water resistance rating of IPX7. Apple says it’s fine to wear the watch in the rain or while washing your hands, but the company doesn’t recommend submerging the device.
Many Apple Watch owners have tested Apple’s water resistance claims, coming to the conclusion that the Apple Watch is more water resistant than Apple claims. It’s survived submersion in a bucket, laps in a pool, lengthy swim tests, and even a 10m dive with no damage.
Image via Craig Hockenberry
iOS developer Craig Hockenberry of Iconfactory has followed up each of those tests with a thorough look at the Apple Watch’s ability to function in water, which he’s compiled into a detailed report that’s well worth a read.
Hockenberry wears his Apple Watch while swimming in both pools and the ocean with no discernible damage. Because other reports have already proven the Apple Watch can function in water, Hockenberry goes deeper and looks at how well the watch works while it’s in water, how it can be used while swimming, how accurate the data tracking is for water-based activities like swimming, and how to keep the Apple Watch in good condition after using it in salt water and chlorine.
The Apple Watch’s capacitive touch screen doesn’t work while the device is under water, nor does Force Touch. This is a problem when using the Workout app, as it can’t be accessed in the water, and occasionally, water can activate a swipe on the display, swapping from the timer to the calorie view. A workout can only be started before getting into the water and ended after getting out, leading to some inaccuracies.
You have to start the workout before getting in the water and stop after you’ve gotten a chance to dry off.
For an ocean swim, this screws up your timing: you don’t really start swimming until after you get beyond the surf break. If there’s heavy surf, this can take several minutes. Workout data is being collected while you’re standing and waiting for waves to clear.
Hockenberry postulates that Apple recommends customers don’t use the Apple Watch in water “because of the erratic behavior it causes” when the screen is wet, rather than out of concern for how well it holds up in water. As he suggests, it’s possible water activity tracking will improve upon the release of WatchOS 2 if native swimming apps are allowed, but it is not clear if Apple will approve swimming apps as they encourage users to wear the Apple Watch in a way that Apple does not support.
Hockenberry’s full, detailed report on how the Apple Watch functions in water can be read over at his site, Furbo.org.
Android Wear could soon offer watch to watch communications
The next big version of Android Wear looks set to bring a couple of new features that have been present on the Apple Watch, if a new report is to be believed. According to information obtained by Phandroid, the next version of Android Wear will have a collection of cool, new features and was originally due for launch on July 28th but looks to be delayed until August.
The first of the new features is interactive watch faces, which will bring a new single tap gesture to Android Wear. Currently, developers are using a hacked method to offer watch faces that support the single tap gesture but this can lead to conflicts with the system.
The introduction of interactive watch faces means Google will officially support the single tap gesture but will also result in a change in the way you activate the launcher on Android Wear. Since the Android 5.1.1 update, the launcher on Android Wear can be activated by swiping from right to left and once Google brings out the next Android Wear update, this will be the only way to open the launcher.
Android Wear in video:
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In Google’s documentation, the company details four example cases of when you might want to use the single tap gesture. The gesture can be used for everything from making aesthetic changes to the watch face and state changes to revealing more information and even launching an activity. Google is actively working on the update and should be launching an API for the new interactive watch faces in the coming weeks.
The next version of Android Wear is also expected to bring another big new feature; cross-device communication. Users of the Apple Watch are able to send heartbeats and doodles to each other and it seems that Google wants to get into the action. From the next version of Android Wear, a new communication method called Together will let Android Wear users send each other messages, sticks, emojis and doodles but this seems to be limited to just one watch face at the moment.
The string below reveals more about Together:
“Stay together by sending messages directly to your friend’s watch face”
<string name=”wc_doodle_message_received”>%1$s sent you a doodle with %2$s</string>
<string name=”wc_photo_message_received”>%1$s sent you a photo with %2$s</string>
<string name=”wc_emoji_message_received”>%1$s sent you an emoji with %2$s</string>
<string name=”wc_sticker_message_received”>%1$s sent you a sticker with %2$s</string>
<string name=”wc_message_received”>%1$s sent you a message with %2$s</string>
If Google does limit the Together feature to just a single watch face (and doesn’t make it system-wide like on the Apple Watch), this will be unintuitive for users, as you’re likely to need the watch face enabled to send or receive messages. However, Google’s rapid development cycle means there’s no guarantee that Together will make it to Production and if it does, how it will be implemented.
There’s also good news for LG G Watch R users – like myself – as the update will also enable Wi-Fi on the watch. Like many users, I was quite disappointed to see that WiFi was left out of the 5.1.1 update on the G Watch R but it looks like LG will finally roll out the feature in the next version.
With the Apple Watch offering a credible alternative to Android Wear, the next version of Google’s wearable platform could be the most crucial in its development cycle yet. Features such as the single tap gesture and Together will offer additional features to improve the appeal of Android Wear but it remains to be seen whether this is enough to combat the impressive adoption of the Apple Watch.
Top 5 things you should do after getting an Android Wear smartwatch
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A lot of you will have just gotten an Android Wear smartwatch for being an awesome father (on Father’s Day), whereas some of you will have gotten them as presents or self-presents – either way, welcome to the club. In case you’re new to the smartwatch and Android Wear scene, and you’re wondering what your smartwatch is good for besides telling the time, then here are the “top 5 things you should do after getting an Android Wear smartwatch”, according to me.
1. Use voice commands
When smartwatches started to go mainstream, images of Dick Tracy’s speakerphone watch came up at every turn. While they aren’t quite speakerphones yet, Android Wear devices are very capable listeners with an assortment of voice commands that will make you feel very Dick Tracy indeed. Some that you might like to try include:
“Start a timer for 20 minutes”
“Remind me to read a book at 2pm”
“What time is it in Sydney?”
2. Use the new wrist gestures
Android 5.1.1, which should be available for all Android Wear devices, introduced wrist gestures for the first time. If you’re so include, you will be able to twist your wrist to scroll through your notifications list. It does take a bit of practice, but before long, you’ll be a wrist gesture pro.
3. Pick your fitness app
In case you weren’t aware, Android Wear smartwatches are also relatively capable fitness wearables. While they’re no Fitbit or Jawbone, if you don’t have any of those, your Android Wear smartwatch will serve you just as well in tracking your steps everyday, and if you have one with a heart rate sensor as well, it can track how active your heart is as well. Choose from options like Google Fit, UP (by Jawbone), Runkeeper, and plenty more.
4. Try a music app like Shazam or Track ID
I mentioned before that Android Wear smartwatches are great listeners, and this extends to more than just spoken voices. Download an app like Shazam or Track ID and your smartwatch will turn into a song query device as well, though you may need to get your wrist closer to the source of the music first.
5. Download new watch faces
i.e. the whole reason this site exists in the first place. Unlike those chums using an Apple Watch, Android Wear smartwatches have an almost limitless library of watch faces for you to download and use. Some are available through the Play Store, and others can be downloaded and used through third-pary apps like Facer or WatchMaker. In essence, if you can think of something to put on a watch face, there’s probably a watch face for it already, and if there isn’t, you can probably make one yourself.
So there you have it – 5 things that you should do with your Android Wear devices once you have them. If you have any other good ones to add to the list, make sure to let me know down in the comments.
Originally published on WatchFaceADay.com where I am the founder.
The post Top 5 things you should do after getting an Android Wear smartwatch appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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