According to Business Insider, Google is working on its own smartwatch, which it plans to release next year.
p> According to internal documents, the device, which is internally codenamed Rohan, will run the latest software Google SmartWatch.
p> Unlike the Apple Watch, Google smartwatches will have a round face and bezel-less. They will record indicators of health and physical activity.
p> Work on smartwatches has intensified this year. Google asked people outside of the development team to test the device and provide feedback.
p> The watch is sometimes referred to internally as “Pixel Watch” or “Android watch,” but it's unclear which brand Google will use.
p> Google has big plans for the production of wearable devices. In January, the company closed its $ 2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit, and the acquired company said it ultimately intends to build devices that run Google's operating system. However, Google has no intention of labeling the watch as a Fitbit device.
p> Rohan has a heart rate monitor and offers basic health tracking features such as step counting. As it stands, the watch will require daily charging. One employee who checked the watch complained that she was walking slowly. Like the Apple Watch, Google's wearable devices will also use proprietary bands.
p> An early concept paper outlines Google's ambition to create a watch that is comfortable to wear by at least 90% of the population. It is unclear if the company intends to offer the smartwatch in multiple sizes.
p> In meetings, senior executives told employees they intend to launch the smartwatch next year. Perhaps this will happen in the spring, if the last round of testing goes well.
p> The tech giant considered the idea of launching a watch under the Google brand back in 2016, but decided instead to focus on licensing wearable software to third-party tech companies. such as Huawei, Fossil and Michael Kors. However, Google has retained its intention to gain market share. According to IDC, Apple Watch accounted for 45.1% of smartwatch OS shipments in the first half of 2021. Smartwatches running Google Wear OS accounted for only 3.1%.
p> However, the situation is changing. In May, Google unveiled an updated version of its smartwatch operating system, created in partnership with Samsung. In a recent report by Counterpoint Research, Wear OS shipments rose to 17.3% versus Apple's 21.8% in the third quarter, thanks to sales of Samsung watches running Google's new operating system. Fitbit has a 4.4% market share.
p> Two sources said the company has merged the Fitbit group into its Devices and Services division, and more recently merged its wearable team with the Fitbit group. Google is also working on integrating Fitbit and Wear OS.
p> A Google-branded watch that can track health metrics could also help propel the health search giant's business ambitions. The company disbanded its healthcare business in September, but said it still plans to expand it across the company. The Eams medical records group has been merged with the Fitbit group.
p> Meanwhile, Alphabet, Google's parent company, has announced the creation of Isomorphic Labs, a startup that will develop new drugs using artificial intelligence technologies.
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