Market research firm Wristly conducted a recent study on Apple Watch customer satisfaction and its results were interesting.
Although a survey just showed that owners of the Apple Watch scored a 97 percent satisfaction, over 330 interviewed users underlined their total dissatisfaction with the wearable. Most dismayed customers blamed a "lack of value" for renouncing their smartwatches. Almost 90 percent of them noted that the gadget's flaw is its cost/benefit ratio.
80 percent of them made clear that in their experience, the Watch has a very limited set of features. Since its release, the Apple Watch took flak because it has no GPS or cellular radio. Plus, it relies almost exclusively on data tethering. The uninspired GUI controls also made a poor initial impression. The Cupertino-based company took some steps to fix complaints, and in September it released the watchOS 2 which added native app support and more.
The Wristly study discovered that owners of the Apple wearable are unhappy with its short battery life and its performance. However, it is not clear if users referred to the performance of the gadget itself or the way that non-native watchOS apps run on it.
More than half of the respondents chastised the tilt-to-activate function for being "annoying." The feature contributes to power saving, and it was designed for users to raise their wrist, tap the screen or push the button for the screen to light up.
The study revealed some surprising aspects, though. Most owners of the Apple wearable kept their device. 65 percent of clients who owned the stainless steel version of Apple Watch locked it in a drawer, 12 percent returned it to the manufacturer, 18 percent sold it and 5 percent offered it as a gift.
The Apple Watch Sport variant received about the same treatment. 50 percent of its owners stashed it away, 17 percent took it back to the Apple Store, 24 percent sold it and 9 percent gave it to someone else.
70 percent of the respondents answered follow-up questions and their answers were surprising as well. It seems that 30 percent of unsatisfied Apple Watch customers still wear the gizmo, while around 50 percent of them consider getting the second generation of Apple Watch when it launches.
