Dubai: Many unbranded smartwatches have popped up at Gitex but those can only be used as an alternative to a mobile phone.
Most of the brands are selling with a SIM-card either with 2G or 3G spectrum.
Samsung, Sony and Huawei have launched their smartwatches that can be used to tracks users’ active life by monitoring the steps taken, calories burnt and the sleep patterns. Samsung devices can even make calls and a camera to record.
So has this segment gained traction in the UAE? “Today, the wearable segment is appealing to someone who is a fitness freak. It has not become a main line item. Still a consumer does not see the value,” said Nilesh Khalkho, chief executive of Sharaf DG.
He said the time has not matured enough as in the case of smartphones where wearables have to be with the user. It is moving towards that and “we are seeing the changes but it will take time,” he said.
Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vice-president at Jacky’s Electronics, said that the segment on the long run will do well. The form factor is something which needs to be settled on whether it is going to be the “smartwatch or smartband.”
Chinese brand
From an industry point of view, he hopes that with Apple’s launch of the smartwatch the industry will gain traction.
Jacky’s is promoting Chinese brand Que which has smartwatches starting from Dh350 to Dh850.
Another Chinese brand — X Touch — has made big inroads into the market and most of the retailers are selling it. Regarding sales, Khalkho said that it is marginal now. The visibility is not there.
“You cannot find a wearable section as a category at major retail stores, even internationally. We are moving towards that,” he said.
According to research firm Gartner, seven out of 10 smartphone vendors have entered the wearable market.
Taiwanese vendor Asus is expected to launch its ZenWatch soon and Motorola is expected to launch its Moto 360 in November.
