Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, November 19, 2020
The smartphone-smartwatch Connection
Smartwatches offer the promise to extend the user’s experiences. Most are tightly coupled with a smartphone and its ecosystem. We looked into whether smartwatch users’ behaviors are any different, whether they have an iPhone or Android smartphone. Drilling into the MetaFacts TUP/Technology User Profile 2020 results showed there is a gap between OS and between countries.
iPhones for Communication
Apple Watch users use their iPhones more so than Android smartphone users focus most on communication activities. Text messaging, phone calls, and video calling stand out stronger across the four countries surveyed. Most of these activities are integrated to some degree with Apple Watch, except for video calls since the Apple Watch does not include a video camera (at least not currently).
Androids for Fun and Words
Android smartphone users with Android Wear are very distinctive from the iPhone/Apple Watch crowd in their behavior. Many of their uniquely-strong smartphone activities are centered around entertainment, from playing games to reading, commenting on blogs, to writing reviews.
Looking ahead
Apple has continued to dominate the active installed base of smartwatches. Apple continues to encourage its customers to expand their use of Apple products and services with smoother integrations both inside and outside of their ecosystem. To the extent Google Wear OS smartwatch makers can focus on their customer’s behaviors and needs, they may offer stronger competition to Apple. Even better, such a user-based approach might spark the development of many types of new successful wearables.
About TUPdates
TUPdates feature analysis of current or essential technology topics. The research results showcase the TUP/Technology User Profile study, MetaFacts’ survey of a representative sample of online adults profiling the full market’s use of technology products and services. The current wave of TUP is TUP/Technology User Profile 2020, which is TUP’s 38th annual. TUPdates may also include results from previous waves of TUP.
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