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Many believed for the longest time that Apple was going to revolutionize the wearable tech industry. Apple lovers everywhere are clamoring to see the iWatch dominate the market and smother the competition. However, thanks to the recent unveil of Google’s Android Wear OS, it may actually be too late for Apple.
Here are several reasons why Android Wear is going to dominate the wrist, even though Apple has yet to launch their version of a smartwatch.
Total Domination, Period
Android Wear isn’t just going to affect Apple; it’s going to affect smartwatch makers as a whole. Pebble has been one of the most successful companies in the industry, until now. The Pebble Steel is remarkably attractive and has been quite the success, but it pales in comparison to the Moto 360 running Android Wear. For one, the Pebble uses a black and white screen while the Moto 360 uses a beautiful – and round – full color display. Furthermore, the Moto 360 design resembles a traditional watch, which it makes it more appealing and classic. In fact, unless the screen is turned on, one could easily mistake the Moto 360 for a plain old wristwatch. Even the LG G Watch is more attractive than most on the market, and includes the same bulky square design.
Simply put, Android Wear is going to dominate in terms of form and function.
Android Wear Was Designed for Wearables and Small Displays
Just take a quick peek at the Android Wear site, and you can clearly see that the OS was designed with wearables in mind. Of course, Google also mentioned this idea during their big reveal. Why is this important? Some of the smartwatch makers thus far have simply tried to cram Android or a forked version of the OS into a smaller device. While that may be acceptable in some cases, it doesn’t offer the kind of streamlined experience that most people expect out of a modern device. For instance, why would you want to bother with all kinds of cramped menus on a device with a tiny screen?
Let’s face it: you’re probably never going to use a smartwatch to browse the internet, even if it includes wireless support. Can you imagine trying to browse this Empire Cat website (example here) on a small 3” display? That’s a lot of text to crawl, and the navigation menu was clearly designed for a larger desktop, tablet or mobile phone.
Instead, you’ll likely use a smartwatch to collect important information, such as notifications, alerts and even quick answers through Google Now.
Android Wear was designed from the ground up for wearable devices and small displays. That means it’s going to use innovative navigation features and it will offer the streamlined experience we’re talking about. All of your important information will be right there, just a swipe or two away.
Google Is First This Time
Apple beat Google to the punch when they launched the iPhone back in 2007. This time around, Google is first to the starting line. Not only does it mean they will get a headstart, it also means they will have more experience later down the line. Judging by the fact that Android now dominates the smartphone market, it’s likely we’ll see more of the same in the smartwatch industry.
Better yet, Google hasn’t just produced a winning OS. They brought several big name manufacturers along for the ride, like Motorola, LG, HTC, Samsung, Asus and even Qualcomm. Even Fossil has shown interest in producing an Android Wear smartwatch sometime in the future. More manufacturers in the game translates to more opportunities.
Could Something Go Wrong?
Seeing as there are no Android Wear devices available yet and Google is likely still refining the OS, yes, it’s entirely possible that something could go horribly wrong. That being said, it’s more likely that Google will hit the ball out of the park and deliver exactly what they’ve promised. The real issue is going to come when people decide whether or not to purchase a smartwatch. Many feel that wearable tech in general is just a gimmick. What do you think?
