Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Fossil had not too long ago introduced that it could exit the Put on OS smartwatch market, although it could maintain its present Put on OS watches up to date for the “subsequent few years.”
- The corporate not too long ago held a inventory clearance sale, and all of its smartwatches at the moment are bought out.
- You’ll be able to not formally purchase a Fossil smartwatch with Put on OS, finishing the corporate’s exit from the market.
Apple has cornered the smartwatch market with watches just like the Apple Watch Sequence 9, and Google had some catching as much as do with Put on OS. Earlier than the Pixel Watch and the OnePlus Watch 2 got here alongside, Fossil had been holding down the fort with its lineup of nice Put on OS smartwatches, offering Android customers with some aggressive choices. Sadly, Fossil not too long ago introduced its choice to stop the smartwatch market, and now that point has come.
As noticed by DroidLifeyou possibly can not formally buy a Put on OS smartwatch from Fossil. Just lately, Fossil had a inventory clearing sale, with their Put on OS smartwatches dropping right down to $79 (with the identified caveat that the corporate is exiting the market). And now that the inventory has cleared, they not have any Put on OS smartwatches or hybrid smartwatches on sale.
Fossil assured that their present Put on OS watches can be up to date for the “subsequent few years.” We’ll have to attend and see how that pans out.
The report notes that Google shares some blame for Fossil’s exit from the market. Google’s cope with Samsung to grant them exclusivity with Put on OS 3 (whereas they labored on it collectively and shipped it on the Galaxy Watch 3) meant that Put on OS survived. Nonetheless, different Put on OS watchmakers, like Fossil, had been pressured to promote smartwatches that had been a full OS model behind the competitors for a complete yr. Google additionally doesn’t have a devoted Put on OS companion app, so watchmakers should create their very own companion app, including to the complexity of promoting the {hardware} and conserving it up to date.
Fossil’s exit was stunning, however not a lot for anybody watching this area intently. Put on OS smartwatches are beginning to make a return now, however Fossil had been drawing the brief finish of the stick throughout the low phases of Put on OS for some time now.
Fossil’s function because the protector of Put on OS in its darkest days shall endlessly stay in our collective reminiscences. Fossil stood as tall as The Wall of Westeros, saving Android customers from the monopoly of Apple Watches taking up their realm and changing everybody into an iPhone person. With the previous few Fossil smartwatches lastly bought out, it’s time to say, “And now his watch is ended.”
