Before Mobile World Congress even officially opened its doors, HTC took to the stage in Barcelona to unveil a handful of new products, some we were expecting and some we had very little idea were coming. Despite this year’s HTC One being much like last year’s, and the year before that, HTC had some fresh products to show off. These fresh products came in the form of the Grip fitness tracker, developed with Under Armour, as well as the HTC Vive, a virtual reality handset developed in conjunction with Steam. It was an interesting product launch, that’s for sure, but there was one device missing that we thought we’d see from them; a smartwatch.
When it comes to these little wrist-mounted computers, things are really starting to heat up. Pebble has recently just announced the Pebble Time Steel edition and well, there’s an Apple logo looming above everyone in the industry right now. It would seem like HTC’s “right time” to release a smartwatch has passed. So, where is the HTC Smartwatch? Speaking to CNET, Peter Chou had this to say on the matter: “”We try to be very careful instead of just putting out whatever, so we keep working on it.”
Hardly inspiring words for those waiting patiently for HTC to throw their hat in the ring, however we can respect any company that wants to do something right rather than just for the sake of it. Having said that, if HTC wants to become successful as a consumer electronics company, rather than just a smartphone manufacturer, then they arguably need to offer a smartwatch to compete. The HTC Grip looks like a great product for those serious about fitness and reaching their goals, but for the average consumer, VR headsets and easy-to-use cameras aren’t going to do it on their own. What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below.