There is a lot of hype out right now about a new Google smartwatch, one that just might be launched at the same time as the Pixel 3 in early October 2018. Could it be that this new “Google Smartwatch” will be named the “Google Pixel Wear OS 2 Smartwatch”? That’s anybody’s guess, but for the sake of this article, that sounds like a great name.
It seems that Google is following Apple’s queue in the smartwatch industry. They are almost certainly going to build their own smartwatch.
Let’s think about just how big this news is. Like Apple, if they make the hardware and the software, they have a huge advantage over the competition, (which we will discuss in detail in this article). Google will be able to create a strong marriage between the hardware it creates and the software it develops. In time, this marital bond will become so tightly knit together as one, that it will have the same impact that Apple has enjoyed for years.
Before a line of defense is established, please understand that I am not arguing for one camp, (Apple) over another (Google). I am saying that Google sees the wisdom of Apple and has decided to apply that wisdom to its smartwatch line, just like they did with their cell phone line, (Nexus and Pixel).
Marrying hardware (Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch), that Google creates with the software that it develops (OS Wear 2.0), is a GREAT Idea for several reasons. We are going to look at 5 reasons how this will benefit you should you decide to purchase the new Google Pixel Smartwatch when it is released.
Check also: The 5 Best Smartwatches for Men 2020
The Competition is Forced to Follow
As the author of Wear OS, Google has the advantage over all other smartwatch watchmakers that utilize Wear OS. They will always only play second fiddle to the hardware that Google creates, always following in their shadow. From Google’s perspective, this is brilliant business marketing. Not so much from the perspective of other vendors.
You can bet that before any updates to Wear OS are made public, those updates will work flawlessly on Google’s own hardware. Other vendors will have to build their own hardware to work with Wear OS, whereas Google can develop their software (Wear OS), to work with the smartwatch that they have created.
When this smartwatch is released, it will be the ‘cream of the crop’ so far as Android watches are concerned. Like a race car driver A.J. Foyt who races in the Indy 500, other vendors will line up to draft behind this flagship phone just to keep pace with the industry. Why? Because it will have top-of-the-line hardware, software, and features.
How does this benefit you? Well, if you purchase the Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch when it is released, you will benefit in the following ways.
Read also: The 6 Best Smartwatches for Women in 2020
You Can Expect Better Security
When a company marries hardware and software together as one, the product in question becomes intertwined as one unit, and both the hardware and software works to protect the other. When hardware is designed for a specific piece of software (Wear OS), and the software is designed for a specific piece of hardware, it is a lot easier to button up security vulnerabilities that may come up.
Anytime a security patch is released, the smartwatch that was designed by the same company that designed the software (patch), is the first smartwatch to obtain the security patch. In other words, a smartwatch that is designed by Google will receive all security updates first; weeks, (and usually months), before other hardware vendors will release the security patches. This is a HUGE benefit of owning a smartwatch that was designed by the same company that developed the software that runs on that smartwatch.
For example, since the release of IOS 11 in September 2017, Apple’s mobile operating system has an attrition rate of 81%. In other words, 81% of their user base is using the latest updated operating system. Compare that to the 5.7% Android users who are running the Orio 8.1 on their smartphones. The point is that if you own hardware from the same company that develops software for that hardware, you are going to receive security updates in real-time. You also will receive new updates and features before other vendors that utilize the software.
Google Smartwatch Updates!
For tech geeks like me, getting a software update is just plain fun! Who does not like to receive new features, better battery life, and bug fixes on their smartwatch?
Being the first to receive the latest features from a software update is really exciting. Imagine being the first to receive Wear OS 3.0 on your smartwatch while everybody who does not have the Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch has to wait. Some people will have to wait months before being able to “update” to Wear OS 3 after it comes out because the company that makes their watch has to ensure compatibility before it can update its user base. For me, that’s a huge reason to purchase the Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch.
It’s not just major releases that you will be granted access to the front of the line for. As a Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch owner, you will be first in line to get any and all security updates. If there is a known security vulnerability, you will be the first to get it.
This has always been one HUGE advantage that Apple has had over the competition. Once a security vulnerability is discovered and a patch is released, every Apple Watch owner can immediately download and install the security patch. If you do not have a smartwatch that is put out by Google, you will potentially have to wait months for that security patch to be available for the smartwatch model you have.
The Google Pixel Wear OS Smartwatch is a Flagship Product
Because flagship products earn the most money, attention to detail is given to both the hardware and the operating system.
If you want the latest that the industry has to offer, you will want to purchase the Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch. You can bet that it will have the best that the industry has to offer at this time.
The chipset maker, Qualcomm, has confirmed that it will build a brand new wearable chipset with Google which will power the next generation of watches. More likely than not, we can expect better battery life and they just might accomplish this by fine-tuning their power modes.
Google Assistant has come a long way in a short time. I would not be surprised if we had the choice of setting the Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch to always be a listening device. Of course, this means that it would always be listening to our conversations so that it could make recommendations in real-time without any input from us. That does sound scary, and I would certainly hope that they would allow us to turn that “feature” off at will, should it be available.
Flagship Products Have a Lifespan of Several Years
Millions of dollars are poured into the development of a flagship product prior to its release. Rest assured, given the investment of time and money, in the coming years, they will want to build upon what their flagship product. The point is that a flagship smartwatch line has a lifespan of several years, and you can rest assured that there will be software support for that flagship product for years to come.
Purchasing a smartwatch that is made by the company that also makes the operating system on that smartwatch is a no-brainer. When you find that the smartwatch is a flagship product, one that the company plans on building upon for several generations (releases) to come, then its really a no-brainer.
This smartwatch is not just for those who have an Android phone either. Wear OS 2 has matured to the point that it is now fully capable of taking advantage of all that the iPhone has to offer, (with the exception of Apple’s proprietary iMessage).
It is rumored to be released in early October because that is when the Google Pixel smartphone has been released in 2016 and 2017. What better time to release a new smartwatch, just after Apple announces its product releases in September? If you are in the market for getting a new smartwatch, I highly recommend that you invest in Google’s soon to be released smartwatch, whatever it is named. I’m very confident that you will not be disappointed.