The Apple Watch may have won hearts and minds but Google can win the war, says Damien McFerran
Amid the incredible publicity generated by the much-hyped launch of the Apple Watch, the average high street consumer would have been forgiven for assuming that Apple had created the concept of wearable devices. As the company has done so effectively in the past, Apple took an existing idea and made it fly. The Apple Watch, regardless of your opinion on the device, has been a tremendous commercial success and has kick-started interest in the idea of a "smart" watch -- something which Google, Sony and Samsung all tried to do, with mixed results.
It must be slightly annoying for these firms to see Apple swoop in and take the plaudits, especially when the watches they themselves worked on launched beforehand, but that's the magic of the Apple brand. There are many consumers who won't commit to a new technological advancement until the Cupertino company has produced its own take on the idea.
Brand worship aside, the dust has settled on the Apple Watch launch and now is the ideal time (no pun intended) to take stock of the market as it stands at the moment. While Google's thunder has been well and truly stolen by Apple in many respects, the company is perfectly positioned to capitalise on the public's newfound interest in such timepieces, just as it piggy-backed on the success of the iPhone launch all those years ago by pushing out its rival smartphone operating system, Android.
In fact, there are many parallels to be drawn between these two battles. While the iPhone arguably established the idea of a large-screen phone backed up with downloadable apps, Google's strategy involved taking the same concept and giving manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony and LG the chance to leap on board the smartphone train and produce a wide range of handsets which all benefitted from a shared OS and app ecosystem - strength in numbers, you could say.
History is repeating itself in the smartwatch arena, with Google again adopting a hands-off approach when it comes to the products which run Android Wear. Any company can produce a compatible watch, and as a result we've seen some welcome variety in the marketplace, starting with boxy watches such as the LG Watch and Sony SmartWatch 3 before shifting to much more aesthetically-pleasing round offerings from Motorola, Huawei and LG. Choice is one of the biggest selling points of Android on phones, and that is proving to be equally true of Android Wear.
Apple has kind of nailed the premium angle with its smartwatch, but a new Android Wear watch could seriously change all that as one of the biggest names in timepieces prepares to join the fray. I’m talking about Tag Heuer, a company that needs no introduction.
TAG Heuer, Intel and Google have now officially announced THE MOST premium smartwatch EVER created. Designed by TAG Heuer, engineered with Intel technology and benefiting from everything the Android Wear universe has to offer, the watch is now official and it looks positively AWESOME. It also has a price tag to match.
The TAG Heuer Connected costs £1100.
Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer & President of the LVMH Group's Watches Division announced the watch accompanied by Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel Corporation, and David Singleton, VP of Engineering for Android at Google.
Jean-Claude Biver announced: “We are incredibly proud to be unveiling the first connected watch, which brings more than 150 years of history firmly into the future. The TAG Heuer Connected watch gives you the means not only to connect to the future, but also to connect to eternity."
Brian Krzanich emphasized: “Intel makes amazing experiences possible with smart, connected technology. Together with TAG Heuer and Google we created a beautiful, intelligent and functional product that harmonizes the latest computing innovation with more than a century of watchmaking experience, timeless aesthetics and supreme quality.”
David Singleton agreed: "From Google Search to smartwatches, Google strives to give you the right information, at exactly the right time and place. Android is how we bring this helpful experience to many of the world’s devices. TAG Heuer Connected, powered by Android Wear, is a luxury watch that’s beautiful and incredibly useful. We are thrilled to present it along with TAG Heuer and Intel."
This is EXACTLY the type of exposure Android Wear needs. It is also something Apple cannot even compete with -- it doesn’t lease out its software to third parties.
There’s no word on price, features or when the watch will be available. But being a Tag it’ll probably be quite pricy! Let’s hope the company has something new to bring to the table as well, like 48 hour battery performance or something.13
The other big advantage that Android has had over iOS is price. Google's OS has dominated the lower end of the market with phones like the Moto G, and Android Wear can pull off the same trick with wearables. Granted, most new Android Wear watches are priced similarly to the Apple Watch when they launch, but because there's more competition and a wider selection of products, prices tend to tumble more readily.
For example, the Moto 360 - arguably the poster child of Android Wear thanks to its gorgeous design and rounded watch face - can now be picked up at retailers like Ebuyer for just over £100. That may still make it more expensive than your typical timepiece, but it's a much more tempting figure than the price it launched at last year. As other manufacturers look to upgrade their watches, you can expect to see other models plunge in price, too.
The other big weapon that Google has is its willingness to embrace other platforms, as is evidenced by the fact that Android Wear now supports iOS. That massively expands the potential consumer base for such devices, while the Apple Watch is limited by the fact that people who don't have an iPhone can't use it.
While Android Wear hasn't attracted the same mainstream attention that Apple Watch has done, Google is playing the long game, just as it did with Android. Pricing, availability and consumer choice will be the weapons it uses to gobble up more of the market, and with devices like the Moto 360 now straying into impulse-purchase territory, it's the perfect time (again, no pun intended) to give the whole wearable concept a test-drive - even if you've been skeptical of the whole thing in the past.
Thanks to Ebuyer for supplying the Moto 360 used in this feature.
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