Samsung refutes Galaxy Gear flop rumors, says 800,000 smartwatches have moved

With a reporting yesterday indicating that Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch had “flopped” with only 50,000 units sold, the manufacturing giant is refuting that report. However, even as Samsung speaks to the media regarding the Galaxy Gear as a successful product, there is some confusion about whether or not the company has “shipped” or “sold” 800,000 units …

The company is well-known for using the terms interchangeably, and yet there is a dramatic difference between the two meanings. If Samsung truly has “sold” 800,000 Galaxy Gear smartwatches it would not only make it the most successful product of its kind the world over, but would completely refute yesterdays report. If in fact Samsung has only “shipped” 800,000 smartwatches, then the company could be spinning the report while those sit in warehouses waiting to be sold off.

A Samsung executive told Reuters that Gear sales have been better than their own expectations and that they expect to expand sales promotions for the holiday season – a rather vague comment.

“It’s the most sold wearable watch available in the market place…and we plan to expand its availability by expanding mobile devices that work with the Gear,” Samsung said in a statement.

While the Reuters report claims sales figures, Korean publication Yonhap says Samsung is referring to shipments to retailers and not actual sales. Needless to say, the jury is still out as to how successful the Galaxy Gear smartwatch is from a sales volume perspective but regardless of which report is “true,” the company has the ever-important holiday season right around the corner to heavily promote and move its first-generation smartwatch. Perhaps after the holiday season we’ll know with certainty whether or not Samsung’s first-generation smartwatch is a runaway success or dud.

Meantime, developer Kevin Hughes wins the prize for most impressive and most useless thing since the launch of the Galaxy Gear itself: a custom ROM to allow you to run a full web browser on the 1.6-inch screen. Watch and marvel.

via The Verge