Swatch has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a smartwatch in the coming months, but things may prove tough for the seasoned watchmaker and getting hold of one might be tricky for most consumers.
Seems like only yesterday we were getting super-pumped at the news of a Swatch smartwatch emerging, especially when the watch company claimed its device would pretty much never need charging. However, since then things have been deathly quiet – until now.
Swatch CEO Nick Hayek re-stated his company’s aims to deliver a smartwatch during a recent company meeting, to reassure us that the plan isn’t dead in the dust. Unfortunately that’s where the good news ends.
During the meeting, the Swiss billionaire confirmed that the smart Swatch timepiece would only launch in Switzerland and one other “big country”, and while no information was given on the second destination, many have leapt to the sensible conclusion that it will be China, Swatch’s second largest market.
Hayek has been open in the past regarding his company’s smartwatch plans. Back in February he publically confirmed that Swatch, a company which was previously disinterested in smartwatch tech, had changed its outlook entirely. He also went on the record and stated that his company’s product would only support Android and Windows Phone, leaving iOS owners stuck with Apple’s own wearable and a short supply of compatible rivals.
So far, we’re told that device will feature Swatch’s super-smart battery technology, meaning it won’t need to be charged, and it will also pack fitness, NFC and internet-enabled features too. We’re also told that the smartwatch will support payment technology, allowing it to rival Apple Pay, and with yesterday’s debut of Android Pay fresh in our memories it appears the company has the perfect ally.
But while there’s no doubt Swatch has the finance, experience and clout to deliver an excellent product, the company is going to find it very difficult to gain a foothold with its first-gen product in a market which is currently seeing the release of third-gen offerings. Perhaps that’s why the target country list has a mere two names on it, but all the same, we’re gutted that Swatch didn’t leap on the bandwagon last year and release a worthy Android and WP device that finally solves the battery life issue.
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