TAG Heuer, the luxury watch maker, has unveiled its plans for its first smartwatch, contrary to earlier dismissive statements made about the Apple Watch in particular following its announcement.
Talking about the Apple Watch, TAG Heuer’s interim Chief Executive Jean-Claude Biver had some very blunt remarks for the smartwatch, saying that it seems to have been designed by a student and carries a very feminine look to it. Biver stated that luxury watches such as TAG Heuer have timeless designs, whereas the smartwatch from Apple will be outdated very soon.
However, it looks like the bosses at TAG Heuer could not contain their nervousness of an upcoming smartwatch that has the potential to change the way we think about watches. Biver has admitted that they may have underestimated the appeal of smartwatches for consumers, and the company has already started negotiating on several partnerships, while also probing for probable acquisitions to kick start the project.
According to Biver, this project was started around 4 months ago, but as far as partnerships and acquisitions go, there are no names to go by for now. It is however rumored that TAG Heuer could be working with Google and Intel, with the latter likely to be providing the chipset to power the luxury watch maker’s smartwatch. As for Google being a part of the project, it could spell Android as the OS of choice for the device, but at this point things are somewhat unclear.
TAG Heuer is not looking to compromise on the mechanical actions that drive the majority of its wristwatches, and will be looking to further pack in all the necessary components and sensors required to monitor parameters such as steps, distance and more. According to Biver, TAG Heuer will only do a watch if it believes its offering will be different to the competition and unique and will not be making any announcement unless there’s a quality product for the company to showcase.
The smartwatch from TAG Heuer could launch in late 2015, whereas the Apple Watch, which the luxury watch maker is looking to compete with in the long run, is scheduled to be released somewhere in early 2015.
It is likely that those with an iPhone would want to go for an Apple Watch if they’re shopping for a smartwatch, given the pairing advantages. What’s your opinion on this matter?
(Source: Reuters)
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.
