Google introduces the first smart watch

The Google Pixel Watch combines its own Wear OS with Fitbit’s fitness tracking. Fitbit was acquired by Google for $2.1 billion (£1.7 billion) in 2019.

The device can be paired with Android devices and is 4G compatible, which means it can work on its own without being near the phone – but for this it needs its own data plan . Google says that both the phone and the watch need to be connected to the same network.

The tech giant didn’t reveal the price of the wearable, but it said it will be a “premium product” when it launches in the fall.

According to market analysts, generation smart watch Google’s first will face stiff competition from Apple and Samsung, which are already market leaders in smartwatches.

Currently on the market there are many types of smartwatches running on Google’s Wear operating system, but so far Google has not had a device of its own.

Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services at Google, said the combination of “Google’s ecosystem and Fitbit’s expertise” is what makes the product unique. .

Despite speculation that the Pixel Watch could also pair with Apple products, Google confirmed this won’t happen.

More new Pixel products launched

At the conference, Google also announced two new Pixel phones – the budget Pixel 6a and the high-end Pixel 7, which will go on sale in July, a new Pixel tablet to be released in 2023, and updated headphones. , Pixel Buds Pro, with 11 hours of battery life (or 7 hours with noise cancellation enabled).

Google’s Pixel smartphone has received many good reviews in the past, but the product did not really stand out in the market. In February, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the last three months of 2021 had set an “all-time quarterly sales record for Pixel”, but did not give actual numbers.

Mr. Osterloh said the global chip shortage “has had a significant impact” on Google’s hardware sales. “We would have sold more Pixels if it weren’t for supply chain issues,” Osterloh said.

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