Rumors have been popping up throughout the year that Google is finally planning on launching a smartwatch of its own, a true showcase of Wear OS (formerly known as Android Wear).
But it won’t come to pass. At least, not this year. Tom’s Guide has a report on Friday that bursts the bubble pretty definitively, with an interview with Google’s Director of Engineering for Wear OS, Miles Barr, where he says that Google is not planning on launching a smartwatch alongside the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in October.
The reason? Barr says that the “one-size-fits-all” smartwatch hasn’t been created yet, and Google isn’t ready to give it a shot.
“To think of a one-size-fits-all watch, I don’t think we’re there yet,” Barr said. “Our focus is on our partners for now.”
Indeed, as Barr notes, most smartwatches are meant to address a certain element, whether that’s fashion, fitness, ruggedness, or just design in general. One that checks all those boxes, however, remains to be seen. And it sounds like Google is working in that direction, but has not achieved it just yet.
However, that doesn’t mean Barr hasn’t thought about what a future Google Watch, probably a Pixel Watch, might feature if it does ever come to light:
“Our Google Pixel line of phones is the best experience and Google’s take on it, so I imagine we would focus heavily on the [Google] Assistant to integrate AI and machine learning into the device, which is Google’s forte.”
So, bad news leading into the weekend. But maybe we’ll see what Google has been working on next year, especially if they can solve the lofty goal of a great smartwatch for everyone.
[via Tom’s Guide]