I think a lot of this comes down to cost. A $500+ smartwatch that's mostly useful for notifications and the occasional wrist-based controls seems like overkill

I think a lot of this comes down to cost. A $500+ smartwatch that's mostly useful for notifications and the occasional wrist-based controls seems like overkill to me, personally (but I imagine this depends on your disposable gadget income). But I picked up a Moto360 maybe a year and a half ago for $150 on sale and while its main uses have also been notifications, the occasional voice/tap command, and playing with making watch faces in Photoshop, I'm mostly OK with that. $150 for a computer-watch that can change its appearance and layout to match your mood, occasion, or tie is pretty neat. But I don't know that it's $500 neat. Kinda like Travolta's $5 milk shake in Pulp Fiction, the Apple Watch is a pretty cool gadget, but I'm not sure it's something I'd ever pay that much for. But once you get into the $100-200 range, they start to become more appealing. And once the tech works its way downstream into cheaper products the way basic smartphones have, I think they'll be fairly popular.