Jeff Chang, Google product manager of Android Wear, recently told The Verge that Google will be introducing two new “flagship” smartwatches in the first quarter of 2017.
These new watches will launch the Android Wear 2.0 platform. Chang told The Verge that Google “collaborated with the manufacturer” on the watches. Google will be announcing new partnerships at the CES show and at Baselworld.
Despite the slow growth of wearable devices, Chang says that Google is “quite optimistic” about the prospects of smartwatches. “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “This category of product is here with us to stay.”
With this optimism, we have to wonder how this will affect the already-declining luxury watch market. Simply put, consumers are now looking for all-purpose products. With millennials being the first “tech generation,” luxury tends to sway towards the latest devices.
Saying that, consumers are still looking for quality pieces—but they have to speak to a new set of values. Tech fashion is disposable fashion, meaning they will only last as long as the next version. Luxury watch companies can still outshine smartwatches by being staple pieces.
