Apple Watch? No, Thank You

Don't be shy. Tell us how you really feel about the Apple Watch. Oh wait, you just did, in our latest flash poll.

We asked, "Are you considering buying an Apple Watch or other brand of smartwatch," and 585 of you took the time to weigh in the week of Sept. 15. Two thirds of respondents (66.84%) gave us a resounding, "No way!"

Just over a fifth of you (22.56%) said you want an Apple Watch. Things are looking even more grim for other smartwatch makers: Only 8.71% of respondents want another brand of smartwatch, while a mere 1.88% already own one.

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Personally, I'm holding out for this:

Or this:

Actually, what I've really been waiting for is this:

Of course, I've also been waiting for flying automobiles, so I guess I've got expectations that exceed reality. If that's the case, it's possible I'm not alone.

Analysts at Gartner, Citigroup, and other prestigious organizations are predicting a rosy future for smartwatches.

Gartner forecasts that by 2016, smartwatches will account for 40% of wrist-worn devices. Gartner arrives at that conclusion, in part, by excluding traditional, non-connected wristwatches from its analysis. Rather, their wrist-worn devices definition encompasses fitness wristbands, such as FitBit, but not your Timex. According to Gartner: "Nine out of the top 10 smartphone vendors have entered the wearables market to date or are about to ship a first product, while a year ago only two vendors were in that space."

CitiGroup Research predicts that the market for smartwatches will grow from $2 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2018. Market research firm GfK polled a total of 5,000 smartphone owners in China, Germany, South Korean, the U.K. and the U.S. (1,000 in each country) in August 2014 to gauge interest in smartwatches and other wrist-worn devices. According to the GfK report:

Buyers of traditional watches – at least those who can afford the high-end kind -- seem to lack the same price sensitivity being shown toward smartwatches.

According to the Wall Street Journal, exports of luxury Swiss watches reached $23.3 billion in 2013. Where Apple and the other smartwatch makers might be competing with traditional watchmakers is against brands such as Swatch, Skagen, and others that retail in the $100-$500 range. The question for me, though, is whether an either-or comparison is even appropriate.

Does a smartwatch really compete against a traditional watch? At the moment, smartwatches require a smartphone. Once that technical challenge is solved, it's far more likely that the smartwatch could become a replacement for our phones themselves. Until then, I plan to proudly wear my (decidedly low-end) traditional wristwatch and carry my smartphone in my pocket. How about you? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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