Author: Julie Campbell

These two companies currently make up 96 percent of American sales for these wearables.

According to a recent survey, Samsung and Pebble are the smartwatch manufacturers that have massively dominated the category since October, in terms of sales, as Gear devices currently make up an estimated 78 percent of the total $96 million in revenue for that market, while Pebble holds the majority of the remainder, at 18 percent.

It has been estimated that since October 2013, there have been about half a million of these devices sold in the U.S.

The data was released by the Weekly Tracking Service from NPD Group, a market research company, which said that “almost half a million smartwatches have been sold in the U.S. since October 2013 and category incumbents, Samsung and Pebble, dominate the market.” NPD ‘s recent survey includes data that spans from October 6 of last year, to May 25.

Details about the smartwatch sales from other companies such as Qualcomm and Sony were not revealed in the report.

During that period of time, one in three of all of the wristwatch wearable technology devices were sold within the 2013 holiday season, said the report. NPD executive director of industry analysis, Ben Arnold, explained that they are predicting that that the sales of these devices will only continue to grow throughout this year. He added that “With nearly $100 million in US sales in less than a year, the category is off to a promising start with just two major brands.”

The report went on to say that the Wearable Technology Study from NPD showed that about 20 percent of consumers feel that they are interested in actually buying one of these devices, except that the cost is currently prohibitively high. In the United States, the price of the average smartwatch is currently $189, with devices ranging from about $160 to $257.

Arnold went on to say that as manufacturers spot the opportunity to combine the sale of these wearables with that of smartphones, the prices of the watches have started to dip down into the range that consumers would consider to be more affordable. He stated that “Like any new product category, the overall ASP (average selling price) on these devices will decline as the market becomes more diverse with budget, mid-level, and premium product offerings.”

Recent studies and reports are adding to a growing body of evidence that indicates that people aren’t wild about wearables, yet.

Wearable tech may be one of the fastest growing mobile device categories, but at the moment, the popularity appears to be notably greater among the companies actually developing these gadgets than among consumers who are buying them.

Not only are people not necessarily buying wearables as fast as they’re being produced, but they’re judging those who do.

Some wearable tech has a better reputation than other forms. For example, fitness trackers seem to have been broadly accepted by consumers, as a whole, but at the same time, there are other forms that are bringing about far less love. For example, while spotting a smartwatch on someone’s wrist may generate a great deal of interest and conversation, at the moment, Google Glass and other augmented reality headsets seem to label a wearer as someone much less likeable.

The opinion that consumers have about wearable tech doesn’t seem to have anything to do with its usefulness.

To go back to the Google Glass example, an owner of these wearable devices can take advantage of a very high quality gadget that can be operated by voice command and that brings many of the features that can be found on a smartphone into a hands-free environment. However, despite the fact that it is very handy, people who use the device have been labeled “Glassholes” and are essentially thought of as people who are trying to declare their own self-worth by throwing their money into the latest technology.

A digital research firm called L2 recently released a report that pointed out that while 75 percent of consumers are aware of what wearable tech actually is, only 9 percent have any desire to actually purchase and own one. Even smaller is the 2 percent group that actually owns one of these mobile devices. The report showed that among those who were surveyed, 52 percent felt that the best location for wearables to be worn is on the wrist. Twenty four percent said that some place on the arm was best, and only 5 percent felt that headbands or other head-mounted displays were ideal – even in the form of eyeglasses or contact lenses. Clearly, the design of these products has a long way to go before consumers accept them – and their wearers – more broadly.