Consumers abandon one third of their wearables

Although most wearables are very attractive at first sight, it seems they lose their appeal quite fast. According to a study by market research firm Gartner, almost one third of smartwatches and fitness trackers are simply abandoned by their owners after a while.

The results of Gartner's survey show three main reasons for abandoning the wearables - boredom, lack of usefulness, as well as hardware breakdowns. The survey was conducted between June and August, with over 9,500 consumers located in the US, Australia, and the UK taking part.

Smartwatch adoption rate is still low, with 12 percent in the US, 9 percent in the UK, and 7 percent in Australia. On the other hand, fitness trackers are nearing 20 percent overall, while VR glasses and head-mounted displays still have to reach the 10 percent barrier. In the US, fitness trackers have an adoption rate of 23 percent, followed by Australia (19 percent) and the UK (15 percent).