The three biggest Android Wear manufacturers have confirmed to CNET that they won’t release new hardware in 2016, leaving LG as the only one of the three that has released a smartwatch this year. Last but not least, research indicates that people are more interested in cheaper fitness trackers than actual smartwatches. Three out of four wearable devices worn in the U.S. are fitness bands, over half of which are affordable products made by Fitbit. So why the reluctance to release new Android Wear hardware?
Advertisement
It’s somewhat surprising that we didn’t see any watches from these companies at IFA, which is normally the time when companies unveil new smartphones, and more recently, smartwatches. The code even contains functions to adjust the experience based on the smartwatch’s capabilities to account for the wide range of Android Wear products available. They’ve so far been unable to incorporate an LTE radio in the watch without there being trade-offs in battery life and added bulk.
While LG launched an Android Wear smartwatch earlier in 2016, Motorola and Huawei have yet to release any smartwatches in 2016, raising questions about the companies’ future plans for the sector. It’s likely that we’ll see a slew of new smartwatches in 2017.
Advertisement
“As other devices come on the market-if those are Android Wear devices or if they are devices from other quadrants that are interesting for gameplay and mobility and being active-we’ll look into supporting those, too”, Hanke said.
