Dive Brief:
- Google launched the third developer preview for Android Wear 2.0 this week, with the addition of a Google Play feature where users can easily find and install apps directly onto the watch, according to a company blog post.
- While the updated smartwatch operating system was expected to be released during Q4 of this year, Google said it is pushing the preview program into early 2017.
- Google is responding to developers who told the company that what they most wanted out of Android Wear is an easier path to discovering apps, especially after studies found that users looked and asked for ways to find them on the watch itself.
Dive Insight:
If smartwatch tech is to better catch on with consumers — and be a more attractive platform for marketers — the user experience needs to be simplified, especially given the medium's limited screen real estate and user control over that display.
Based on the release, Google is taking steps in the right direction by listening to both its developer community and its users, creating a Play Store for Android Wear to help streamline the app development and marketing process.
While extended previews and testing into next year may be frustrating for those looking for finished software now, the delays actually show that Google is willing to take the time to polish a better product rather than push one that will lack features or require updates immediately after release.
Whether or not an Android Wear 2.0 will be hit is nebulous at best, as even Apple has struggled to keep strong smartwatch sales, but catering the technology to dedicated Android and Google Play users as opposed to the broader market might bring a niche appeal.
