What do a search giant, a chip manufacturer and a Swiss watch maker have in common? Well, not much, besides all of them wanting to show Apple how wearables are done.
Come to think of it, each of these three companies can play a great role in the creation of a smartwatch. Google has plenty of experience with its Android Wear platform, while Intel has just dipped its toes into the wearable tech industry, but as the world’s main chip maker, knows a lot about hardware. TAG Heuer, on the other hand, is one of Switzerland’s most popular luxury watch makers, and the only one of them who knows how to design a head-turning timepiece.
David Singleton, the head of Android Wear development for Google, stated that “When I think about the watch, it’s always been a marriage of beauty and utility. We’re going to do that with our partnership.”
What’s completely ironic is the fact that not long ago it was rumored that TAG Heuer engineers are helping Apple to develop its smartwatch. As you can clearly see, Google, Intel and TAG Heuer want to prove Cupertino that delivering a smartwatch in a golden case and sticking a $10K price tag to it does not make it a luxury wearable, by any means.
“The difference between the TAG Heuer watch and the Apple Watch is very important. That one is called Apple, and this one is called TAG Heuer,” pointed out Hublot’s CEO Jean-Claude Biver. “Swiss watchmaking and Silicon Valley is a marriage of technological innovation with watchmaking credibility. Our collaboration provides a rich host of synergies, forming a win-win partnership, and the potential for our three companies is enormous.”
Another ironic thing is that if until now many celebrities endorsed Apple and its products, now there are quite a few who advise people against buying an Apple Watch, gold edition or otherwise.
Then again, Biver, the head of luxury brand conglomerate LVMH Group’s watch division that also includes TAG under its vast umbrella, called Apple’s Watch a “fantastic product, an incredible achievement,” and the “biggest threat for watches priced at less than $2,000,” despite having an exactly opposite opinion not long ago. All this suggests that TAG might join this partnership simply for the financial benefits.
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