When a company does not appear to be too confident about its products, how is a customer expected to feel, right? Well that’s pretty much the vibe that Samsung’s Open Innovation Center’s David Eun has managed to give off when he compared the Galaxy Gear smartwatch to that of an unripe fruit, or to be more specific, he compared it to a “small green tomato”. Fruit that is unripe tends to be sour and it’s something that most people would rather avoid, instead choosing to wait for it to ripen before eating or purchasing it.
In all fairness, Eun was probably trying to defend the Galaxy Gear by saying that the device had yet to ripen, or mature if you’d rather, and perhaps we might need some time before the product becomes a success. This is not the first time Samsung has gotten flack for something new that they’re trying. Back when the Galaxy Note was launched, its 5.3” display was considered ridiculous by many and many believed it was a novelty and a trend that would die down. Fast forward to 2013 and we can see that 21% of all smartphones shipped are of the “phablet” variety, a category of smartphones that Samsung had a hand in making.
Last we heard the Galaxy Gear had only managed 50,000 units sold to date and are only pushing 800-900 units sold a day, which is admittedly hardly inspiring. Perhaps time is what the industry and the market needs, but for now what do you guys think?
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