Microsoft will launch its first foray into modern wearable computing in the next few weeks, according to the usual “sources” close to the project. Depending on which source you listen to, Microsoft’s wearable is either a smartwatch with fitness band functionality, or a fitness band with limited smartwatch capabilities. In either case, the leaks seem to agree that Microsoft’s first modern wearable will have a screen (but maybe not a big one); passively monitor your heart rate (even while you’re asleep); support cross-platform notifications from iOS, Android, and Windows Phone; and that the device will get around two days of use between charges. (The image above is a render; I doubt it’ll actually look like that.)
You might not know this, but Microsoft’s hardware and gadget efforts long predate the Surface line of tablets. At the very least, you’ve probably seen a Microsoft keyboard or mouse — but there has also been a large number of other, relatively unknown and unloved devices that were meant to establish a Microsoft beachhead in new markets, but were, almost universally, critical flops. Way back in 1992, Microsoft began its love affair with pen computing — yes, there really were Windows 3.1 devices that were controlled with a stylus. In 2006 there was the Zune media player, and in 2010 the very short-lived Kin mobile phone. And, though very few people actually remember it, in 2004, in partnership with watchmakers like Fossil, Microsoft released some very ill-fated SPOT smartwatches. SPOT used MSN Direct — a wireless network that used FM radio signals — to send data to SPOT devices across the US and Canada.
Fast forward to 2014, and it seems Microsoft is ready to try its hand at smartwatches, or at least fitness bands, yet again. Rumors have been circulating for a few months that Microsoft would attempt some kind of cross-platform wearable device that will display notifications from a companion iOS, Android, or Windows Phone smartphone — a savvy move, when Windows Phone has a negligible market share in the countries where people actually have enough disposable income to blow on a smartwatch. Most leaks also seem to agree that Microsoft’s smartwatch will be fitness-oriented, with lots of sensors and the ability to passively monitor your heart rate (i.e. it can track your heart beat without consuming much power). Battery life is also meant to be good — more than two days of regular use, according to a Forbes report.
In short, it sounds like Microsoft is going for something fairly safe and conservative — and not something that will compete directly with the Apple Watch, which is due out next year. Considering the issues that Microsoft has had in trying to popularize Windows Phone and its own line of Surface tablets, I think it’s wise to take the safer route. Sure, if Microsoft went up against the Apple Watch and won, it would be magnificent — but I doubt the company wants to run the (rather large) risk that it would lose horribly. At this point, I suspect new CEO Satya Nadella just wants to get a success up on the board — it doesn’t have to be a particularly big one.
The new Microsoft smartwatch/fitness band is expected to be released in the next few weeks, in time for the busy holiday season. Microsoft will apparently release companion apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, allowing for fitness tracking, notifications, and other handy synchronization stuff. My money is on a pretty small screen, making the device more of a band than a large-faced watch, but maybe Microsoft has something else in store; maybe we’ll actually get a large-screen smartwatch with the Metro-style Start screen on it. Wouldn’t that be grand.
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