Some said the Galaxy Gear did look like a prototype version of what Samsung is creating with the smartwatch. Despite the finished exterior with the rubber band and metal watch-face, it feels like something a scrappy startup made and not a international company.
In saying this, the scrappy design is one of the best Samsung has pulled off, with their smartphones designed with plastic in mind and a pretty poor UI. The problem is Samsung really has little vision when it comes to smartwatches, at least right now and the Galaxy Gear 2 may be a more refined version.
When rumors first sprouted of a Galaxy Gear smartwatch, many claimed Samsung was trying to get the jump on Apple before they could launch the iWatch. This does not seem to have worked, despite some excitement surrounding the smartwatch, the vast majority of people see it as an overpriced gadget for the techies.
The iWatch is needed to change the market, as Apple have done with the smartphone and tablet. Not only is it is a big test to see how Apple can achieve vision under Tim Cook, but it is a show of how Apple’s vision can create a new market within the old one, changing and “revolutionising” it for a consumer friendly experience.
Apple has not always made great decisions and made great products, Siri and Apple Maps have had their shortcomings and these are just the latest, but the general idea is when Apple makes a new product for a market, it spreads like wildfire. The iPod, iPhone and iPad are proof of this and now the iWatch will be the fourth big push into a new consumer market.
Even if the Galaxy Gear 2 is launched at CES 2014, will we see something revolutionary or the same design and UI under a different skin. Samsung has the man power to make two watches and hundreds of phones in a few months, but do they have the vision to really create a game-changing device.