TAG Heuer Smartwatch In The Works To Tackle Apple Watch, As Release Date Approaches
TAG Heuer, the upmarket Swiss watchmaker, had earlier brushed off the rumours about the apparent threat from the "Apple Watch." But then, according to recent reports, the luxury watchmaker has, in fact, taken the competition from Apple to take over the fashion watches space seriously and in turn, a "TAG Heuer smartwatch" is in the works. Notably, TAG Heuer is also looking for partners and it is also open to acquire companies to manufacture an "original luxury offering" to take down Apple Watch.
Founded in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, the luxury watchmaker is part of the LVMH group. After witnessing Apple's smartwatch launch event, TAG Heuer's interim chief executive officer Jean-Claude Biver shrugged off the Apple Watch as "too feminine" and that the watch looks like it was built by a student in his/her first trimester. After this condescending comment, the executive further added that the Apple Watch will be outdated. He concluded by saying "luxury always has something timeless," notes MacRumors.
But then, times have changed and Jean has come to realise that Apple Watch could indeed be a threat and he already has plans for a high-end smartwatch in place. In order to get a head start on the luxury Tag Heuer smartwatch, the executive is open to acquisitions, reports MacRumors.
In Jean's own words, "We started on the project about four months ago. We have done several partnerships and might also do acquisitions." If reports are true, apart from TAG Heuer's team, Google and Intel are also working closely with the watchmaker to help with the upcoming smartwatch. Speaking of Intel, the chipmaker might have been roped-in to supply microprocessor units to drive the smartwatch, opines the same site.
In hindsight, Switzerland's predominant watch industry is seeing strong competition from the wearable gadgets. The wearable gadgets in the form of smartwatches and smartbands let users to check email and in some cases, make voice calls when paired to a smartphone. Apart from Tag Heuer, the world's biggest watchmaker, Swatch Group, will also launch a smartwatch in summer 2015, says Reuters.
Speaking of features, the TAG Heuer smartwatch will reportedly incorporate mechanical actions, with the help of sensors to keep a tab on the physical stats like "step counter" and "burned calories." Jean reportedly told that, TAG Heuer would build a smartwatch, only if it manages to bring out a unique, stand-out, quality product. Furthermore, he also confirmed that, until and unless there is a worthy product to offer, there will not be any announcement on the device. Meaning, the release date of the upcoming TAG Heuer smartwatch could be in late 2015, says the same site.
It is worth pointing out that the much-awaited Apple Watch release date is pegged for early 2015. Plus, the tech giant will reportedly offer several variants of the smartwatch namely a base model, a sports model and a luxury edition. The latter variant will feature 18-karat gold casing, sapphire crystal display and intricately designed band options.
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