Forbes says that Microsoft will introduce its own smartwatch "within weeks."
Apple's got a smartwatch. A number of Google's Android hardware partners have smartwatches too. Now Microsoft wants a piece of the action, if a new report is any indication.
According to Forbes, Microsoft plans to release a smartwatch of its own "within weeks." Forbes goes on to say that the smartwatch "will passively track a wearer's heart rate and work across different mobile platforms," and that it would be able to go two days between charges. That would be an improvement over many current smartwatches, which often need to be charged nightly.
The story behind the story: A smartwatch that works with multiple mobile platforms would fit in with Microsoft's new focus under CEO Satya Nadella. Throughout his tenure, Nadella has put less emphasis on Windows (even though it is still a very important product line for the company), and more on providing productivity tools for users of all platforms.
Also, Windows Phone makes up a small fraction of the smartphone universe, so opening up to other smartphone platforms makes good business sense, too.
Not Microsoft's first shot at a watch
If Microsoft is indeed working on a smartwatch, it would represent the company's second try at the concept. In 2004, Microsoft teamed up with watchmakers like Fossil and Swatch to produce smartwatches that used the company's SPOT technology.
These watches served up information like weather forecasts, news headlines, sports scores, and more from Microsoft's MSN Direct service, which fed information to the SPOT watches over an FM radio signal.
The SPOT watches never really caught on, though, and were dead by 2008. You could probably make the case that Microsoft was too far ahead of its time before, but only time will tell whether the second time will be the charm.
As we enter 2020, the new decade spells infinite possibility in digital and design. Yet ironically, the biggest trend we’re facing has nothing to do to with innovative technology. It is something much more ‘down to earth’: The state of our planet. Or more specifically: Climate change.
Let’s face it, transformation is messy. Every business is different, with a set of specific challenges based on a mixture of external (the market, competitors, regulation) and internal factors (technology, people and process investments over time).
Human Centred Design (HCD) has come a long way in the last decade with many forward-thinking organisations now asking for HCD teams on their projects. It’s increasingly seen as essential to unlocking innovation, driving superior customer experiences and reducing delivery risk.
In this bonus last episode of this new podcast series, BrandHook MD, Pip Stocks, talks with former ANZ group general manager of marketing, Louise Eyres, talks about the importance of thinking like a customer and using intuition to solve customer painpoints.
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