Google's smartwatch initiative Android Wear is crawling along like one of the overweight joggers on the second day of their New Year's resolution.

Android Wear sold 15.6 percent of the total "smart wearable bands" market in 2014, according to market analysts at Canalys.

The company says it believes that out of 4.6 million devices sold last year, the six Android Wear models that hit the market together sold about 720,000 units.

The analysts included any wrist-worn devices capable of running applications made by a third party, which includes Pebble and Samsung's Tizen-powered watches.

Canalys said in a report it published that Android Wear's first few months of sales fell below expectations from the search giant.

Smartwatches were outsold by fitness bands three to one, the analysts claim. The simpler wristband devices, which focus on step-tracking and fitness, are sold by companies like Fitbit, Razer and Jawbone.

The bands lacked a screen and support for outside apps, but beat out smartwatches on battery life.

The analysts say that the problem is that Android Wear devices' brightly lit touchscreens and smartphone notifications that can quickly drain their small batteries.

While no one in their right mine would buy one now, all that is expected to change when Apple releases its watch and markets it to the point where people believe it is a good thing. Apple's watch has the advantage that it is so late that it is running on ideas tried by its rivals.
Google is expected to unveil Android Wear 2.0 this year, with improvements that will make Apple's watch look rubbish.

Unfortunately, it is not about technology, it is about convincing stupid people to pay over the odds of toys which they never use. Apple has the skills and the fanbase to do that.