Back in September Samsung announced its first smart watch, the Galaxy Gear. The watch was poorly received in the tech press, with reviewers criticizing the device for its lack of features. Another sticking point with the device is that it was only compatible with Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 3 smartphone until just recently.
Despite these limitations it seems that pent-up demand for smart watches has made the Galaxy Gear a mild success. Reuters today reported Samsung claims that it has sold 800,000 of its new smart watches in September and October. This outpaces even what were seen as optimistic predictions from analysts, and Samsung has even stated that its own projections have been exceeded.
These sales come just before the holiday quarter, in which Samsung is expecting to sell even more Galaxy Gears. Reuters quotes the Korean tech company as stating it will soon be pouring even more cash into marketing the device. Samsung has already spent millions marketing the Galaxy Gear, which includes an odd puppet-related ad released in early October.
This holiday season might be the only one that Samsung will get to market its smart watch while only competing seriously with the likes of Sony. Apple is still rumored to be close to finalizing its designs for a smart watch and smartphone manufacturers are expected to ship millions of the devices in the coming years. Even Samsung itself is already rumored to be developing the follow-up to the Galaxy Gear.