Google. Inc announced Wednesday the official release of Android Wear 2.0. The company faced a body of disadvantages before being able to present the new operating system.
Several months of delay and even the overhauling of the original design made this release pretty complicated for the California-based company. During that time, Google wondered about how important was this field for them. Tech aficionados may become very excited about the release of Android Wear 2.0, but many people in the market are skeptical about smart watches and their benefits.
This exponential doubt that raised in the executives’ minds could explain why it took so long for Google to officially present an update that seemed like the most logical option since a couple of years ago.
“The approach that we took as we got started was to build an ecosystem of partners — so not just do a one-size-fit all solution. But build an ecosystem of partners to create a diverse set of styles and sizes. We felt strongly that it was time to work with our traditional — but also non-traditional — partners to create this ecosystem,” David Singleton, the head of the Google Wear project, told TechCrunch as explained Google’s timing on the launch of the Android Wear 2.0
Android Wear 2.0 is debuting alongside two flagship watches from the partner company LG. The South Korean company has presented the LG Watch Sport and the LG Watch Style. According to some online reviews, these two models came as a big deal for the wearable market but would not achieve an exceptional place on the field.
The delay in the release of Android Wear 2.0 was prejudicial for many of Google’s partners, as the shopping season ended in December and they failed to report significant sales in their respective smartwatch models. However, the content of the update may seem valid, as the company presented an operative system that is aligned with some of the Google’s principal features like the improvement of standalone apps and the addition of Android Pay and the Google Assistant.
The smartwatch market is in decay
Since several months ago, many companies keep reporting terrible sales in their smartwatch models as the market seems to be stuck. For example, Pebble was one of the pioneers in the smartwatch devices world, as it introduced to the technologic world a new and modern concept. However, after a series of weak sales in distinct seasons, the company was forced to sell itself to Fitbit in a transaction where Pebble registered a significant lost.
In Fitbit’s case, despite the outstanding popularity that this company had after the Pebble acquisition, they were forced to lay down over 7 percent of their workforce as the selling of their smartwatches was producing severe deficits, especially during the Holiday season.
Apple, on the other hand, has presented a lack of interest in improving the Apple Watch’s abilities and features, as they have focused on fitness applications and the notifications interface.
Another clear example is Jawbone company, as the San Francisco-based enterprise has not presented any new products since 2015, and even has stopped selling devices as they prepare for the release of their new clinical-grade health tracker.
Even some of Google’s most prominent tech partners like Samsung, Motorola, and Huawei, have decided to overhaul Google’s software because of financial purposes. In fact, Motorola went a step further as they lead the opposition to the original operative system when saying that it had a “lack of broad appeal for smartwatches.”
Why doesn’t Google release an original smartwatch?
According to a unidentified member of the Android Wear developing group, Google considers the smartwatch world as an “open ecosystem,” where the personal style every company can offer enriches the whole field. According to this developer, as TechCrunch reports, Google’s priority is to have as many partners as it can to produce an expansion of its operative system through other companies. In fact, Verizon just announced the release of their own smartwatch in March of this year, as it will use the Android Wear 2.0 operative system
However, some experts affirm that this Google posture has more to do with the lack of trust that the company has when it comes to the smartwatch field. Also, there is the fact that Apple is dominating the field with its Apple Watch, according to a report published this week by the firm Canalys. Last year’s reported sales of smartwatches went to Apple in 49 percent. Fitbit and Samsung followed Apple with 17 and 15 percent, respectively.
Google will now have to wait to see the effect of its new release and analyze how the market behaves. Many experts are saying that people simply do not want smartwatches. However, Google seems not to be giving up on what it was formerly known as a very promising market.
Source: Business Insider