It’s committed to its software for wearables, releasing a long-time-coming update Wednesday. Execs also answer our questions about a Google-branded watch.
Even if you buy into Tim Cook ‘s pitch that he can’t make enough Apple watches to keep up with demand, the tech industry hasn’t had much luck popularizing smartwatches.
But Google ‘s not giving up.
After a months-long delay, Google on Wednesday released its first major update to Android Wear , its software for powering wearable devices. New features include better compatibility with iPhones, an improved messaging interface that lets you respond quickly with autocomplete replies, and the ability to make calls directly from the watch, if it has a built-in cellular connection. As part of the launch, Google also worked with Korean consumer electronics maker LG to unveil two new smartwatches, the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport.
Google says it’s committed to Android Wear.
It’s all part of the search engine’s effort to turn wearables into big business.
» Android Wear is not a hobby for us,» David Singleton, vice president of engineering for the software, said in an interview at one of Google’s San Francisco offices. «We’re committed to the space. »
In Silicon Valley lingo, labeling something a «hobby» means essentially putting it on the backburner. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously called Apple TV a hobby, and the streaming media box languished for years until Apple got more serious about the living room.
So it’s no surprise Singleton would answer so adamantly when asked if Android Wear fell into that category.
Tech giants have had a hard time getting people to buy smartwatches. In the third quarter of 2016, the entire smartwatch market fell by more than half: 2.7 million units were shipped that quarter, as opposed to 5.6 million in that same period the year before, according to IDC .
Making things more difficult for Google, the delay of the Android Wear update — which was initially slated for the fall — may have hurt the product during the all-important holiday shopping season, said Ramon Llamas, an analyst for IDC who covers the wearables market.
