Google has big plans in the smartwatch market and wants to give the Wear OS operating system a big restart – for a long time. But the first attempt was a big disappointment and even now the project seems to have stalled in several places, for reasons that are not entirely understood. There’s a lot at stake for Google, but the venture is slowly threatening to be run into the wall.
Google has been active in the smartwatch market for many years and introduced the Android Wear operating system before the first Apple Watch. Of course, the Apple Watch was already on the horizon and the Wear platform was cobbled together rather quickly, but it was still first on the market and had great opportunities. Manufacturers like Samsung jumped at Android Wear because they wanted to get there ahead of Apple but quickly backed away from it.
In the years that followed, things didn’t go any better for Android Wear, and the first restart and renaming to Wear OS were unsuccessful. However, the current attempt for the restart should be a little more successful, because Google drummed hard and put a lot of energy and money into the project: Wear OS was completely rethought, Samsung was able to say goodbye to Tizen and, by the way, Fitbit too acquired for over two billion dollars. The latter probably not only because of the fitness area but to have the big toe in the door to the smartwatch market.
But you don’t make anything out of it. The restart expected for autumn 2021 turned out to be a complete disappointment. Because Wear OS 3 is “there”, it only runs on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. And not exclusively for a few months, but permanently to this day. Even six months later, it is the only smartwatch on the market based on Google’s new operating system.
There are simply no smartwatches
Other manufacturers should only have access to Wear OS 3 much later, updates are not to be expected before the second half of 2022 – just like new smartwatches from other manufacturers. For Fitbit, a smartwatch with Wear OS was promised for the end of 2021, but it never came onto the market. The Pixel Watch, which is also expected for the end of 2021 and has now been postponed several times, will probably also be a long time coming. A market launch is not expected before autumn 2022.
No Pixel Watch, no Fitbit and partners are angry
If there are no smartwatches from Google, Fitbit and other manufacturers, the presentation of the new start at the Google I/O in May is questionable. Should Google actually show the new operating system and only deliver it many months later? That would destroy any hype. Enthusiasm has already bottomed out again and even if Google were to introduce an “Apple Watch Ultra” (under its own brand), the teething problems of the first few months would again make a negative first impression.
Lack of chips or not, Google must finally get going, introduce Wear OS 3 and supply or launch as many smartwatches as possible. Or should it fail again due to Google’s arrogance? Even in press releases (!), many smartwatch partners from Google were disappointed not to have been informed about the new Wear OS. Who knows what must have been going on behind the scenes. If you can’t pull it off yourself, don’t piss off your best partners…