Microsoft Smartwatch Rumored for Holiday Season Release
New rumors have hinted at the possibility of Microsoft’s (MSFT) new smartwatch hitting store shelves in time for the holiday season, according to Forbes—which, if true, would put Microsoft well ahead of Apple's (APPL) iWatch launch next year.
New rumors have hinted at the possibility of Microsoft’s (MSFT) new smartwatch hitting store shelves in time for the holiday season, according to Forbes—which, if true, would put Microsoft well ahead of Apple‘s (APPL) iWatch launch next year.
Forbes reported the device is expected to hold a charge for more than two days, which doubles the reported battery life of the iWatch as well as Samsung’s Gear watch and the Moto 360. Microsoft’s offering also purports to passively track a user’s heart rate and will be compatible across multiple mobile platforms, but other basic information about the device, including an official name and pricing details, are still unknown.
Forbes reported in May that Microsoft was working on a smartwatch that drew on optical engineering technology, which, combined with the rumors of a heart rate monitor, hints at the device’s emphasis on health applications, according to ZDNet. The watch’s supposed cross-platform capabilities are also in line with Microsoft head honcho Satya Nadella’s interest in making Microsoft products and software compatible with competing brands.
And even though customer interest in wearables has been disappointing so far this year, shipments are expected to reach 43.2 million in 2015, of which 28 million will be smartwatches, according to Canalys. Although there are no indicators that Microsoft’s impending smartwatch will do anything revolutionary to the wearables industry, it may succeed purely on the merits of beating Apple to store shelves in time for the holidays.
It’s a no-brainer that launching new tech during the crucial holiday period is bound to garner additional profit based purely on seasonal demand alone, and getting a jump on Apple is sure to help even the odds when the iWatch barges onto the scene early next year. And if past records of new Apple product popularity compared to Microsoft’s offerings (i.e. iPad sales vs. Surface sales) are any indicator, Microsoft would be smart to try and get a leg up on the competition.
