Four years ago most smartwatches worked with most phones, whether you had an iPhone or an Android handset. Yes, the Apple Watch always has — and likely always will be — an iPhone-only device. But Samsung, Fitbit, Mobvoi and even Amazon were making watches and fitness trackers that supported both iOS and Android by default. Some companies used Google’s early versions of Wear OS to build these watches, or they used a proprietary operating system like Samsung’s Tizen.Â
But one by one these companies either dropped iOS support or, in Amazon’s case, outright left the wearables category. Samsung’s since partnered with Google on Wear OS development. Fitbit — a former champion of iOS and Android development before Google bought the brand — only released one cross-platform wearable last year, with the Fitbit Charge 6 alongside the Android-only Pixel Watch 2. Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 5 is Android-only after supporting iOS on earlier watches.
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Most recently Fossil announced that its Gen 6 watch will be the company’s last Wear OS smartwatch, which removes from the field one of the more affordable ways to use Google’s Wear OS 3 as an Apple Watch alternative. (Montblanc’s $1,295 Summit 3 Wear OS watch is still on sale, but that’s far more expensive.)
It’s a disturbing trend for consumer choice to see so many companies cede iOS development to the Apple Watch. Fossil acknowledged in its announcement that the decision to leave the smartwatch space was something of a strategic retreat.Â
“Fossil Group is redirecting resources to support our core strength and the core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth opportunities for us: designing and distributing exciting traditional watches, jewelry, and leather goods under our own as well as licensed brand names,” the company said when announcing the departure.
The decision might also be based on…
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