Fitbit, on the other hand, can't get none
It may well not be the finished article in our eyes, but the Apple Watch is apparently the smartwatch that’s giving people the most satisfaction.
That’s according to the 2016 Smartwatch Device Satisfaction Report conducted by market research company J.D. Power, which looked at satisfaction levels for customers who purchased a smartwatch over the past twelve months.
Essential reading: The best smartwatches to buy
The report gauged the satisfaction of 2,949 customers as well as asking smartwatch owners to rank the following things in order of importance: ease of use, comfort, battery life, phone features, price, strength/durability, display size, styling/appearance, reliability, apps available, and customer service.
A score was then given out of 1,000 with Apple out on top with a respectable 852. Apple’s smartwatch was particularly praised for its comfort, styling and interestingly, its ease of use. Samsung came in second with an 842 score and was highlighted for its customer service, display size and phone features.
Overall smartwatch satisfaction scored a surprisingly high 847, which suggests most are generally happy with the current crop. Poor battery life, difficulty with customising and breaking chargers rank among the biggest smartwatch gripes.
A similar report was carried out for the same period for fitness trackers this time, with 2,949 respondents offering feedback. Samsung came out on top with a 859 score and Garmin ranked second with 836. Samsung’s trackers were praised for comfort, reliability and ease of use.
Overall customer satisfaction again was a solid 829 with 47% of people saying that ease of use was the primary reason for buying a tracker above price, brand reputation and positive reviews.
What’s very interesting about both of these reports is that there’s no mention of Fitbit, arguably the biggest selling wearable tech brand right now. The company has had to deal with some pretty big problems with its family of fitness trackers including those skin irritation/rash issues that many people still complain about in our forum. Its heart rate sensor data accuracy continues to come under scrutiny as well.
It’s also surprising to see Samsung top of the fitness tracker satisfaction pile when you consider its Gear Fit2 has only just launched, which suggests people have actually been very happy with the original Gear Fit.
