Report: Google to sell its own Android Wear watch in early 2017
The ‘Made by Google’ push is set to continue with smartwatches, writes Derek Walter
Google is just getting started when it comes to selling its own hardware. A report from the usually accurate Evan Blass points to a pair of Google-built watches that will come early next year. We’ve heard this before, but we have a lot more context now after attending the recent ‘Made by Google’ hardware event, where the company showed off the Pixel, Daydream View headset, Chromecast Ultra, Google Wifi and Google Home (see page 76).
Something new to wear
The tenor of the gathering and the new shift by Google told us this wasn’t a one-off event. The firm has installed Rick Osterloh, the former head of Motorola’s mobile division, as the new senior vice president of hardware. There’s a dedicated Made by Google site (madeby.google.com) that shows off all the gear, further solidifying the idea that hardware will be a major part of its strategy going forward. Nearly every speaker at the event talked about the company’s services and its desire to build a ‘personal Google’ for every user require a deep integration between hardware and software.
Given all of this, a watch makes perfect sense, particularly if it’s high-end and offers the deep software integration we’ve heard so much about. Android Wear has a lot of catching up to do with the Apple Watch, though. For Google to compete, it needs to build a device that targets the same type of features that Apple is banking on to drive customers to the Series 2 watch (see page 50): a much brighter screen, GPS tracking, and waterproofing. Those, combined with a lot of software innovation related to fitness tracking, make the Apple Watch an ideal companion for the health-conscious.
Other smartwatchmakers have hit the pause button this year, likely given the delay in Android Wear 2.0. It looks like a reboot of sorts is wisely on the way.
A new tablet?
There were rumours earlier this year that a Huawei-built tablet was coming. But it was nowhere to be found at the ‘Made by Google’ event. And the rumour mill has gone dark. It’s all rather odd. The search giant desperately needs a new, Googley tablet.
There aren’t many compelling Android tablets out there. Plus, a new Pixel tablet would give the firm the chance to get the new Google Assistant out into more hands and further drive people into its new hardware ecosystem. It’s certainly one of the rumours that we’ll want to watch as 2016 wraps up and we turn towards the new year.
For Google to compete, it needs to build a watch that targets the same type of features that Apple is banking on to drive customers to its new Series 2 watch