Hey Google, here’s a blueprint for a Pixel smartwatch to rival the Apple Watch
Can we get a good Wear OS smartwatch, finally?
What do we know?
Last night,Insiderfirst reported about the watch, noting that the device’s internal codename will be ‘Rohan.’ Whose Indian parents pressurized the company to do this?
Apart from this silly name, we know that it’ll have a round dial. Plus, it’ll offer basicfitness tracking capabilities like heart rate monitoring, step count, and calorie count.
To be clear, this won’t be built on Fitbit’s platform (acquired by Google for$2.1 billion in 2019), but will have some integration to the fitness company’s features through a product called ‘Nightlight.’
Later,The Vergereported that this new watch might cost more than current FitBit models and will directly compete with the Apple Watch.
What will it need to do to lure consumers?
Industry figures suggest thatApple holds a giant lead over othersin the global smartphone market.The company has beaten out the competition repeatedly over the last several years, with improving health and fitness features in its wearable.
Google’s rumored watch with ‘basic fitness features’ doesn’t strike a lot of confidence when going up against Apple Watch. Heck, I’m using the $46 Mi Band 6, and even it has basic fitness features which are sufficient for many users.
Apple already offers more than 16 workout types, so Google’s new watch should better offer more with more accurate tracking and measures that could help me become healthier.
In select countries, the iPhone maker is already offeringa Fitness+ programthat serves up guided workoutswith Apple Watch integration. Google-owned Fitbit also hasa premium planwith measures like stress level breakdown, sleep score breakdown, blood glucose trends, and wellness reports. But we don’t know if Google’s watch will offer this.
Apart from fitness, Apple also offers health measurements such as blood oxygen, ECG, menstruation cycle tracking, and noise level detection. There are also appsThere are also apps to improve your breathing and handwashing habits, which some might find silly. If rumors are correct, the next-gen Apple Watch might come witha temperature sensor. That could be yet another thing Google might have to copy to compete.
As there have been seven iterations of the product,there’s a healthy ecosystem of apps and accessories available for WatchOS and the Apple Watch. That makes the latter an easier option for those who want to customize their wearable, and live with it for years.
Notably, Apple also offers music streaming straight from the watch and LTE models for folks who need to make calls on the go. Hopefully, Google also apes these features in its rumored offering.
Google’s watch is still in the rumor stage, and while itspartnership with Samsung has given Wear OS a new lifeline, we haven’t seen how successful it is yet.
Even if the watch’s good, will I be able to buy one?
I was really excited about the Pixel 6 this year, but Google stabbed a dagger in my heartwhen it announced where it’d be available at launch. Currently, the device is available only in the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, France, and Ireland. It’s the second year in running when Google’s premium phone is not available in a massive gadget market like India — not to mention many others on that list.
Just like the Pixel 6, Google’s new Chromecast and many other products arent’ widely available. So if Google wants to emulate Apple’s success in smartwatches, it needs to make its devices available in more markets.
The competition and options
There are very few options for Android phone owners to get a good smartwatch. You can go toGarminif you’re really fitness-oriented, but you might miss out on some smart features. If you opt for a watch running Wear OS, you might want to check outFossil watches, but they also have limited functionality.
Your best bet isthe Samsung Galaxy Watch, and perhaps offerings from Huawei if you’re in China and don’t havean issue with the company’s track record. Apart from Samsung’s watch, we can’t really classify any other device as an ‘Apple Watch competitor.’
Google stunned the world withPixel’s camera capabilities a few years ago, and it has a real chance to replicate that magic with a truly great smartwatch. But it’ll need more than time to get it right.
Story byIvan Mehta
Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.“Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.”
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