Apple’s got a strong history of taking a new category of devices, and making them insanely popular. While they don’t get there first, they hit the hardest.
First, we had the rise of MP3 players lead by the iPod. Next, smartphones became a big thing in the wake of the iPhone. Then came tablets, via the introduction of the iPad. Now Apple is on the cusp of cracking into a new category: wearable computing, with the development of the iWatch.
But Samsung is trying to disrupt that pattern. They’re working on their own wearable smartwatch, called the Galaxy Gear. And they’re hoping to beat Apple to the punch, and be the first to release a truly great wearable computer that’ll see mainstream recognition.
The Gear will be what Samsung executive Lee Young-hee calls “a wearable concept device”, with a non-flexible screen and an Android operating system. It won’t be a standalone wearable either – instead, it’ll need to be connected to your smartphone in order to provide more than basic functionality.
Not much is known about the Gear’s capabilities. It’ll be able to show the time of course, but should also be able to run various apps – likely stripped-down versions of apps found on the Galaxy S4 and other Galaxy devices, like S Translate, S Health, S Planner, S Translator…
We do know that it’ll connect over Bluetooth, with the initial connection assisted by NFC. It’s rumoured that the device will have a built-in camera though, which could be an intriguing break with existing smartwatches.
The Galaxy Gear will be announced next week, on September 4th, at the IFA 2013 conference in Berlin. The device is expected to ship soon after, and then I guess we’ll see if Samsung can make an impact on the market and the ultimate Samsung Galaxy S4 accessory… or whether they’ll suffer the same ignominious defeat as Sony, with their technically capable but unpopular SmartWatch 2. Remember, Apple and the iWatch are coming…