Samsung DOES disclose which bands and carriers the watch will work with on each region. It also states that, depending on the region/carrier, additional service fees and restrictions (i.e. needing a Samsung phone to be activated) may apply, and that's up to the carrier, not Samsung (since, for instance, the watch CAN be activated on a carrier with a non-Samsung device on US carriers). They do specify, however, that Google Mobile Services support is required for activation, which leaves, for the time being, iPhones out of the equation for mobile activation.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e?...token=HsQlTC5Z
Not a scheme, just users not reading the fine print when buying.