Seems everyone is rumored to be entering the smart watch fray these days. Apple, Samsung, Google, and LG have all recently been rumored to be exploring the concept, now another big player is said to be looking at entering the arena, everyone’s favorite Redmond-based company: Microsoft.
The Wall Street Journal, via MacRumors:
Earlier this year, Microsoft asked suppliers in Asia to ship components for a potential watch-style device, the executives said. One executive said he met with Microsoft’s research and development team at the software company’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters. But it’s unclear whether Microsoft will opt to move ahead with the watch, they said. […]
For its potential new watch prototype, Microsoft has requested 1.5-inch displays from component makers, said an executive at a component supplier.
As seen in the video above, this wouldn’t be Microsoft’s first venture into the land of smart watches. The company launched its Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) platform in 2004 and had partnerships with watch companies such as Fossil and Suunto. Microsoft sold and supported the watches for four years before discontinuing the devices in 2008.
The watches received data through Microsoft’s MSN Direct FM radio-based service, which the company continued to broadcast data on until January 2012.
Will Microsoft’s previous experience in the smart watch market give them an edge, or will they be doomed to fail once again?
We’ll keep “watching.”