Ok, so maybe the the Apple Watch wasn't the major homerun it could have been right from the jump. But building an audience takes time, and when you're introducing a new product, getting users to dig into your product takes time (we're looking at you iPad). But for all the naysayers attacking the Apple Watch's viability, it seems to have culled a (currently) niche fan base—especially among female users, and those who aren't involved in the "tech industry".
While sales figures for the Apple Watch indicate a long road ahead for the new tech, an 800-person study by Wristly, an "independent research company devoted to Apple Watch insights" shows that things aren't all doom-and-gloom for Apple's newest project.
But let's get the bad news out of the way first. Overall, it seems that the hardest thing to accept about the Apple Watch is its price, combined with its ability to integrate into your daily life. It's a hard gift to just give to someone, especially since the starting model is $349 (and that's the simplified "Apple Watch Sport"). The high base prices, and the need to wear it literally every day for proper integration, are likely what prompted 73% respondents to claim the Apple Watch was a good value—but only 27% to admit they'd buy a watch for someone else. It's hard to drop that amount of money on something that you hope someone else will wear all the time.
There must be something about tech "industry insiders" that make them turn away from the Apple Watch. Especially when you notice that pundits have been quick to claim that the watch is destined to flop. But apparently, if you're not a "tech insider" (which, in terms of the survey, essentially means that you're someone who uses tech, but doesn't work directly in that field), your satisfaction rates jump upwards. 73% of "non-tech" users were left "Very Satisfied," as compared to 63% and 43% for "tech insiders" and "app builders" respectively.
Perhaps most interestingly, is that there's a gender discrepancy in fans of the Apple Watch. While Wristly's study doesn't go too in-depth, they do make note that while 58% of the women surveyed were "very satisfied/delighted" with the ease of use of the Apple Watch, only 47% of men surveyed provided the same response.
Before you run out and buy an Apple Watch of your own, it's worth noting that Wristly's report (while comprehensive) is comprised mostly of the watch's early adopters. The implied understanding is that the results may be skewed slightly. Think of it like this: if someone has the Apple Watch already, it's likely because they were a fan prior to general release and were going to buy an Apple Watch anyways. But as Mashable puts it: "It's unlikely that those who spent from $349 to $1,000-plus would be willing to admit they made a mistake."
The study does show that there is an audience for Apple's first major foray into wearable tech, just make sure that you do your research before you make a major investment of your own.
For more on the results, see the full Wristly survey here.
