As is usual for most devices, Samsung's Galaxy Gear saw an unveiling long before it became available here in the States. Originally announced in September, but not released until the next month, there was a lot of time for people to take in all the details of Samsung's first jump into the wearable device market. Enough time for people to either ramp up their excitement for the device, or to forget about it completely.
When it did finally see the light of day, the question on everyone's mind was whether or not the device would sell. According to Samsung, they moved plenty of product, so it seemed pretty clear what was going to happen next: A Galaxy Gear 2. It wasn't all that long ago that a Samsung executive confirmed work on a Galaxy Gear successor, and we don't have all that long before the company unveils the new device.
But, we knew there was going to be a Galaxy Gear 2 anyway. Even if sales weren't that great, there was no way that Samsung was going to give up after just one device. After their first effort. The original Galaxy Gear was a nice first effort, a way to test the waters. They took what they made, listened to the negative -- and positive -- feedback, and went to work on the successor.
Now there's a different question on the table: What will they change?
Or, perhaps more specifically, I'm curious to hear what you think they should change for the next piece of wearable technology. According to that aforementioned executive, we know that the new Galaxy Gear will boast a new, less bulky design, and I think that's something we can all agree needs to change. The original Galaxy Gear is a beast of a device, so slimming it down in all the right areas would make a lot of people happy.
However, one thing I've noticed since the end of the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, is that a lot of people apparently like the overall design of the Galaxy Gear. With each new piece of wearable tech that was announced at CES 2014, I saw more than a few people in the comments sections talking how they prefer the Galaxy Gear styling. So, perhaps Samsung doesn't have to work too hard on changing the way the Galaxy Gear looks, but just trimming it down in key areas.
I want two things to change for the next Galaxy Gear.
The first? The pricing. The original launched at $299.99, and even though we're apparently on the brink of seeing a new Galaxy Gear announced, it's still $299.99. I don't want to see the price drop too much, because then we'd have to worry about missing features or cut corners, but I think something like $75 at launch would be nice. Of course, now that the new Steel Series from Pebble exists, and that will run you $249.99, I can see why Samsung would feel like they don't need to offer any price cut at all.
I'd like to see interchangeable bands. I know it wasn't possible with the first model because of all the equipment in the bands, like the camera, but this can be fixed I hope. I want to be able to switch between a black and white band, or even go with the orange band sometimes. Yes, I imagine these things would probably cost $150 at least, but I believe you'd get people to buy them. Premiere watches are about being the perfect accessory, and sometimes orange just isn't the right color. I'd certainly look at the Galaxy Gear 2 a little harder if they offered this option.
But, what about you? If you skipped the first Galaxy Gear in hopes that the second would be better, what do you want Samsung to change to get you interested? If you bought the original, what would you like to see Samsung improve on for the next model? If you skipped the Galaxy Gear, what would Samsung need to do with the Gear 2 to get you to buy it? Let me know!