The above is a picture of the Nixon Mission, an upcoming smartwatch that I am seriously looking forward, and it’s something I’m sure other people will be looking forward to as well, but the only problem here is that it’s not coming until well, probably, the Fall. When we covered the initial launch of the Mission from Nixon, it was slated for a release later this Summer, which might still happen, but it’s unlikely that this will be released before the Fall. Fossil, Nixon and Michael Kors have all announced Android Wear watches with a release slated for “later this year” and they did this much earlier on in 2016. After Google I/O’s announcement of Android Wear 2.0, and its Fall release date, it seems as though all new hardware has been put on hold until the next big version of Android Wear has launched, and I wonder whether or not this is a mistake.
This new Michael Kors Access, shown above in both “for Her” and “for Him” is another example. It was announced earlier this year, during the illustrious Baselworld event no less, but won’t be launching until this Fall. The Access in its “for Her” guise is particularly interesting as it doesn’t look a version designed for Women as an afterthought, but rather its main goal, and we need more Android Wear options like that. The Michael Kors name is a valuable one, and one that a lot of people will recognize as being a modern name in the world of watches. Sure, when it launches this Fall it will be a big hit, but is that too long a wait?
Fossil have joined the fray as well, introducing new watch designs that, again, won’t be available until the Fall. This seems logical, after all the Fall is the Golden Quarter, where everyone spends all of their money, right? Well, mostly, but a watch is something you wear, it’s something that defines you as a person, and up until now there have been few options running Android Wear that actually do just that. The Huawei Watch and Moto 360 are fairly customizable, but they’re no Michael Kors or Nixon now are they? The Summer is a time when people mix up their style, they like to show off, it’s the time of year where the pace of life slows down and people like to do more with their time. With a new watch, people feel like a fresh, shiny version of themselves, and if they wanted an Android Wear watch they’re going to have to wait until the Summer.
Meanwhile, the Apple Watch has new, fresh watch strap options available as well as a new WatchOS version launching soon. In the Android Wear world, we’re simply waiting for new hardware and new software to launch. Is this a good idea? To let Apple have all of the sales during the Summer? Not to mention all of the brand exposure that the Apple Watch will be getting while Android Wear seems to have all but disappeared. New hardware is what keeps a platform alive, and the last new release we had in Android Wear was the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition which, despite being technically advanced, is a bit of a chubby watch that doesn’t look the part. Google needs something fresh to come along if they hope to capture much more interest and waiting until the Fall is perhaps a risky move.