Pixel Watch puzzle pieces are in place

After years of rumors and false startsIt seems we are nearing the end. finally Vision a Pixel Watch on Wear OS.

We’ve been hearing rumors of the Pixel Watch over the past few months, but what got me thinking about all this was a recent leak from Evan Blass. Earlier today, Plus posted screenshot On Twitter an interactive tutorial teased “Pixel Rohan” running Wear OS 3.1. Blass also commented on the tweet by saying, “It won’t be long now” – referring to the very likely possibility that Google will harass the Pixel Watch at Google I/O next month.

Nothing about this is incredibly surprising if you’re attentive. The Pixel Watch was always likely to run on Wear OS, although there was brief speculation that Google might do so. Choose Hybrid Analog-Digital. However, this relatively insignificant leak underscores that 2022 will be a watershed year for Google’s wearable ambitions.

Basically, this is the culmination of at least three years of Google laying the groundwork for a true competitor to the Apple Watch. In early 2019, Google bombed $40 million to buy Fossil smartwatch technology And part of the company’s R&D team. Fossil has long been one of Google’s most prominent partners in wearables, and at the time, Google said the move was an indication of the company’s commitment to wearables. Later that year, Google confirmed A renewed focus on ‘ambient computing’ At the Made by Google event before wrapping up 2019 in retreat $2.1 billion for Fitbit.

Not much has happened to Google’s wearable front in 2020. Fitbit has continued to release products under the Fitbit brand – despite its smartwatches Act Get the Google Assistant. Likewise, Wear OS has continued to see it gradual Updates. However, Google opened the door wide open in 2021 at I/O, announcing that it was partnering with Samsung to create New unified version From the long-running Wear OS platform. Then the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 lineup debuted in Wear OS 3 in late 2021.

Photo by Dieter Bohn/The Verge

This brings us to 2022 – the first year that the new Wear OS platform will be available on more than just Samsung smartwatches. Google said over the past year that current Wear OS watches from Fossil and Mobvoi will be too Eligible for promotion In the second half of this year. Google was also hinting at Fitbit future integrations For some time now, Fitbit CEO James Park has also stated several times that a Fitbit Wear OS watch is coming. (althoug It’s hard to say when.) As recently received by Google Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for negative atrial fibrillation monitoring On Fitbit devices. Since Google owns Fitbit, it’s not hard to imagine that it would also benefit from Fitbit’s years of research into advanced health tech features. Qualcomm – whose lackluster Snapdragon Wear chips have also contributed to Wear OS’s struggles to catch up with its competitors – is also expected to Launch a more efficient chip sometime this year.

Basically, all the pieces are in place. Certainly, there are still many questions. Will the Pixel Watch primarily focus on fitness and wellness, or will it also integrate more smart features like LTE connectivity? Will this work well with all Android phones or will it prioritize Google’s own Pixel? What about iOS? We likely won’t have those answers until the second half of this year. But one thing is for sure. This is a big year for Google’s wearable platform — and putting an end to it with the Pixel Watch would be a way to make a statement.