Swiss maker Swatch is planning to release its own smartwatch, a potential competitor of the upcoming Apple Watch.
According to Bloomberg, the Swatch smartwatch is expected to be out "within the next three months." Swatch Chief Executive Officer Nick Hayek said in an interview with Bloomberg that their smartwatch will use a technology called NFC (Near Field Communication) and will not be charged. Potentail buyers will also have a chance to use Windows and Android software and even make mobile payments through the wearable.
According to Hayek, as stated in the Bloomberg report, that smartwatches won't likely be a "revolution" as he thinks that its screens are small and that such devices also require a lot of charging. The CEO even declared that Swatch would not be joining the smartwatch competition due to the "resistance of consumers." He even joked saying that they already have smartwatches -- their watch brands that "make people look smart."
So why the sudden change of mind? Exane BNP Paribas analyst Luca Solca has something to say about Hayek's move.
"Entrepreneurs are practical people, and they care more about being successful than being consistent...Hayek has always said they have relevant technology for a smartwatch -- sensors, display, battery -- and seems to be set to make the most if it. Better to have an option and a hand in this category than not to. Nobody can yet say how relevant smartwatches will be in the end," Solca was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
Could the new Swatch smartwatch take down the Apple Watch? Venture Beat strongly believes it could not. It stressed that Swatch has no experience with smartwatches. It also said that though the NFC chips would allow mobile payments, Swatch smartwatch users still have to rely on a smartphone. Even the Apple Watch has to rely on the iPhone.
The only way Swatch could compete with the Apple Watch, says Venture Beat, is by setting its price tag at a really low price. It said that the Swatch smartwatch could sell if it is in the $200 range. Note that the Apple Watch starts at $349.
The specs and other details of the new Swatch smartwatch have not yet been revealed. In the meantime, here are some details about the new Apple Watch which is expected to come out this April.
The new Apple Watch has three kinds -- the Apple Watch collection, which uses stainless steel and sapphire crystal display; the Apple Watch Edition, which boasts of 18-karat gold case and several metal colors and leather bands buyers could choose from; and the Apple Watch Sport collection which is made up of anodized aluminum and has an Ion-X glass-protected display. These new wearables come with several watch faces and a lot of amazing features like accelerometer and heart rate sensor.