It seems like over the past few weeks, the tech world has been obsessed with the Apple Watch.
Every tech blog has covered the Apple Watch here, there, everywhere! This is not to say this is wrong on the blog’s part.
The truth is that Apple is a big deal both by market share and cultural impact. The presence of Steve Jobs is being felt well beyond his passing in October 2011. However in reviewing the specs on the Apple Watch, we, here at LINC Project were reminded that while Apple may come to dominate the Smart Watch market, they are not the only player in the game.
What caught our eye when researching the subject is the nostalgia campaign that Samsung put out last year in an attempt to enter the market before Apple saturated it. Even Tim Cook alluded to the nostalgia factor during Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ event. As such, at LINC Project we were curious. When it comes to Smart Watches, who are the other players out there and what do they have to offer?
A quick look at the Amazon.com Smart Watch market doesn’t show a Wal-Mart size of choices, but there is choice out there beyond the Apple Watch. The most prominent among these is Samsung’s Gear brand of Smart Watches. From a quick look at the specs, it is evident that Samsung designed the Gear series to compete head to head with whatever Apple ended up putting on the market. The Amazon market features watches that ranges from the highly technical Gear all the way to the striped down UWatch.
We have noticed that these more moderate versions make impressive use of Bluetooth technology while models like the Gear actually have their own SIM card and, in effect, could potentially replace your phone. However as with any Smartphone, the watch is limited by what its software can do.
This is where Apple has the potential to differentiate itself with its popular App Store.
However, if Android makers such as Samsung have proven anything during the Smartphone wars, is that they are not going anywhere anytime soon.