Google’s Pixel Watch is a big deal. But taking on the Apple Watch is a daunting challenge

This Thursday, Google will showcase its latest Google Pixel devices, including the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, at the Made by Google event. But perhaps the most anticipated release is the Google Pixel Watch, the first smartwatch “built by Google, inside and out.”

So is it worth waiting for the clock? Will it be a real challenger to the Apple Watch? Here’s everything you need to know.

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Google has already released a video revealing the design of the Google Pixel Watch, which features a sleek, circular, domed face with a simple scrolling crown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p7v1PTABSU

The watch will use Google’s Wear OS technology, including an integration with Fitbit. And while full details, including the price, will be announced on Thursday, it’s clear that the watch’s release marks a milestone for Google’s product portfolio.

“Pixel Watch is the first major smartwatch designed from the ground up by Google. It’s a landmark event,” said Neil Mawston, executive director of technology analytics firm Strategy Analytics.

Google already has an extensive ecosystem of devices, including smartphones, speakers, displays, streaming devices, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, security cameras, and doorbells. While there have been many Android smartwatches over the years, this is the first to be developed entirely by Google.

Google’s Pixel smartphones were used to showcase the best features of Android. If the Pixel Watch is used in the same way to show the potential of Wear OS, it could become an interesting competitor to the Apple Watch, although Google’s offering will certainly have a lot of catching up to do in terms of features and market share. It could also help pave the way for other Wear OS-using tech companies looking to thrive in the smartwatch market.

“The Pixel Watch helps complete Google’s ecosystem of products and services, eventually allowing them to compete with Apple, Samsung and other competitors,” Jitesh Ubrani, IDC Research Manager, told ZDNET.

So why has Google never dropped a smartwatch before? The answer is timing.

Right now, a combination of recent acquisitions, its presence in the smartphone market, and developments in Wear OS puts Google in the best position it’s ever been to drop a watch.

Wear OS, which launched back in 2014, has gradually gained momentum and has been used in smartwatches from major brands such as Michael Kors, Citizen and even Samsung.

Google’s $40 million acquisition of Fossil’s Tech in 2019 and its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit, which closed in 2021, were also a driving force behind Wear OS’s growth.

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The technology from those two purchases has allowed Google to strengthen and expand its Wear OS capabilities, and it’s now implementing those upgrades into its first watch.

“Google has been slower than Apple in realizing the smartwatch opportunity, but the purchase of Fitbit in 2021 helped kickstart Google’s efforts, and market momentum is now starting to pick up nicely,” says Mawston.

“We estimate that Wear OS has more than doubled over the past year from 8% of the US smartwatch market share in Q2 2021 to 21% in Q2 2022. Samsung and several other hardware OEMs strongly support the Wear OS platform.”

Google’s Wear OS isn’t the only Google product to see growth over the past year. Though Google held just 3% smartphone market share in the first quarter of 2022, Google still has a lot more than the 1% market share it had the year before, according to a study by Canalys.

Google’s growing presence in the smartphone market may have encouraged the company to take the next step and release a product for the growing smartwatch market.

“The Pixel line of phones, which is at the heart of the ecosystem, had to take root before Google was able to introduce add-on devices like the watch,” says Ubrani.

Google is entering the market late compared to some of its biggest competitors like Apple, which launched its first watch in 2015. According to a study by Canalys, Apple currently holds a 28.9% share of the smartwatch market, dominating the market.

Apple recently added new watches to its lineup, including the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra. Apple’s cemented presence in the smartwatch space will likely pose a challenge for the Google Pixel Watch.

And that’s not the only challenge ahead.

“Pixel Watch’s Achilles’ heel will likely be distribution, as its retail footprint in the US and globally is much smaller than that of the incumbent Apple Watch right now,” Mawston says.

The Google Pixel watch’s selling point will be based on its unique features, such as B. the health features that the watch offers through its Fitbit integration to make it an attractive option that stands out from the competition.

“The Google Assistant and Fitbit health features are expected to be the focus of the Pixel Watch, and putting it on someone’s wrist can create a pretty powerful experience that’s unique to Pixel,” says Ubrani.