What happened to that whole computer on your wrist thing? That was the future right? The smartwatch was going to be to the Smartphone, what the Smartphone was to the Laptop. Does that make sense?
Smartwatches were going to be the next big revenue stream for tech firms at a time when innovating for the smartphone is becoming increasingly more difficult, is what am trying to say!
Unfortunately things didn’t pan out that way. It just didn’t happen, and it’s doubtful it will happen any time soon. Companies need to find new, and definitely more exciting reasons to get us to buy.
Two years ago there was a lot of confusion over what the devices on our wrists were gonna be for, and every company had it’s own ideas. Everyone pursuing a different but equally plausible strategy.
The big boys, Apple and Samsung, used their superior engineering, and massive capital to go with the “Let’s pack as much as we can into it and see what works”.
The Koreans are no stranger to the throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. It really seemed that they were coming out with a smartwatch every week. The company has come out with a ridiculous nine Smartwatches since it launched the first Gear in 2013 and it tryed something new with every iteration.
They had a camera on the wrist strap at some point. Really!!!!¯\_(ツ)_/¯!
There is a certain irony to Apple trying something out of Samsung’s playbook but to be honest they didn’t go us far. Apple came out with one smartwatch and packed it with as many thing as possible. The first iteration of the Apple Watch was truly a jack of all trades, master of none. The smartwatch that could do all, even send your heartbeat (remember that little gimmick!).
The interface was just too clattered, there were just too many ways to interact with it (digital crown, force touch, touch and side button), and to top it all of it was too slow. People got tired of it fast. Apple Watches were being bought, and eventually left in drawers faster than you could say “Hey, Siri”.In the end Cupertino added Apple watch sales under the accessory section in it’s quarterly report leading everyone to conclude that the sales were not exactly what the company would of liked to disclosed.
Google desided to follow Pebble’s example and went with the “This isn’t going to replace your phone and that’s fine!”. Frankly speaking that wasn’t a bad plan, Pebble was the company that started the whole smartphone movement, and at the time they seemed to be doing well.
Despite the fact that Android Wear isn’t strictly a smartwatch, but as a platform it defines what Google’s partner’s answer to the Apple Watch would be. Something that was increasingly more important now that Samsung was essentially becoming a competitor, making smartwatches that worked exclusively with Android’s most successful Android phones.
Android Wear was simple and straight-forward, essentially being a screen for Googles Motorola’s 360 genuinely got people excited. It was round, it was beautiful and it wasn’t too expensive. Most importantly it was clear to everyone that it wasn’t anything other that a pretty notification tracker.
The most successful of them like Fitbit went with the “This is a fitness tracker, nothing more”.
This iterations were not strictly a smartwatch, but non the less they inhabited a space that was in direct competition with the smartwatch. Very little people would buy a Smartwatch and fitness tracker. Despite the fact that these devices were ugly and very specific in their purpose they sold well because they actually fulfilled a need that costumers had, at least the more health oriented ones out there.
Where are we now?
As it turned out, an all powerful wrist computer is very difficult to make in a form that can be both useful and appealing to costumers. So at the moment it’s become apparent that what consumers want and what companies can reasonably provide are wearables that look good and can be an excellent notification and fitness tracker
But most companies failed to adapt. Motorola has announced it will not come out with another 360 this year, Google has delayed the next iteration of Android wear, Pebble got bought by Fitbit and Samsung’s latest the Gear S3 despite getting favourable review it was not at the top of anyones Christmas list.
It does really seem the Apple Watch is the only smartwatch in the market outside pure fitness trackers that has had some success. It’s the one I see on peoples wrists 9 out of 10 times and it’s because Apple adapted and it did it fast.
The Apple Watch has been moving away from its original premise with each new iteration of Watch OS. Going from an all round computer and to a much more stream lined and focused device.
By realising that users don’t really use more than 10 apps it’s now fast enough to not be annoying and by adding GPS tracking and water resistance to the Watch 2 the company is now pushing the product as a fitness tracker first more than anything else.
Most importantly what has been Apple’ biggest asset is their continued focus on branding. No one want’s to strap an ugly watch to their wrist. I personally think people who already had an iPhone always wanted to buy a Watch they were just waiting for Apple to give them a good reason, and now they have.
For all the rest of us, and our android phones I can’t really thing of anything better than a Pebble Round right now. Fingers crossed Google has something in stored for us with the release of the new Android Wear.
RIP Pebble.
