// startup autopsy
Samsung Galaxy Gear
$299, 24-hour battery, required a Samsung phone — returned by 30% of buyers.
marketfitSudden Collapse
Unexpected shutdown within weeks of a trigger · Fatal mistake: Only worked with Samsung phones — artificially limited addressable market to Samsung Galaxy owners
| Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2014 |
| Country | South Korea |
| Sector | Hardware |
| Raised | 0 |
// the model, blind
Evaluating only Samsung Galaxy Gear’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Competition as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: No market fit.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Samsung internally launches the Galaxy Gear project in January 2013, aiming to be first to market with a major-brand smartwatch.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Samsung unveils the Galaxy Gear at IFA Berlin on September 4, 2013, priced at $299 and compatible only with the Galaxy Note 3 at launch.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Galaxy Gear goes on sale globally in October 2013 with only 70 compatible apps available at launch, far below consumer expectations for a $299 device.
PIVOT
Samsung expands Galaxy Gear compatibility to 9 additional Galaxy devices via firmware update in November 2013, an emergency move to address collapsing demand.
REGULATORY ACTION
Industry analysts at IDC and Strategy Analytics report an estimated 30% return rate for the Galaxy Gear in Q4 2013, one of the highest ever recorded for a consumer electronics product.
PIVOT
Samsung announces at MWC 2014 in February that the Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will run Tizen OS instead of Android, abandoning the original Gear's software platform entirely.
DOWN ROUND
Samsung launches the Gear 2 and Gear Fit in April 2014, effectively replacing the original Galaxy Gear and rendering it discontinued after less than seven months on the market.
SHUTDOWN
Samsung officially ceases production and sales of the original Galaxy Gear by June 2014, completing the full product discontinuation following its redesign into the Tizen-based Gear 2 line.