Remember when Android Wear was going to take over the smart band market? Hasn’t happened yet, according to market research firm Canalys.
The company says 740,000 Android Wear devices shipped in 2014, out of a total 4.6 million smart bands. (Keep in mind that Wear-based devices only were available in the second half of the year, though.) Pebble alone shipped 1 million units in 2014, as did Xiaomi at the low end of the market, Canalys said. There are six Android Wear devices for sale: the Moto 360, which leads the market; Sony’s Smartwatch 3; the Asus ZenWatch; and the G Watch, Gear Live, and G Watch R from Samsung.
Analyst Daniel Matte told the Wall Street Journal that battery life remains a serious problem for Android Wear, as does a lack of 3rd party apps. And there may not be much time for Android Wear to find its feet: the Apple Watch ships in April.