Gen 6 Fossil watches will benefit from new WearOS, older devices won’t
Fossil says its upcoming Gen 6 watches will be getting the new WearOS operating system. However, it won’t be coming to previous generation devices.
This was revealed in an interview with CNET journalists. They conducted a video chat with Greg McKelvey and Steve Prokup, Fossil’s Chief Commercial officer and Vice President of Connected Devices.
The duo revealed that Gen 6 watches (which are expected to land in the months ahead), will be getting the new Android operating system. This is expected to be a combination of WearOS and Tizen, with some Fitbit activity tracking elements sprinkled in.
What the new software will actually look like remains to be seen, but it will no doubtedly be an improvement on the current WearOS. Upgrades in power efficiency and fitness tracking are expected along with other changes.
The bad news is that owners of existing Fossil smartwatches won’t be getting the revamped operating system. The reasons behind this decision are not exactly clear. The company probably wants to make the most of the upcoming hardware upgrades such as the Qualcomm 4100 chip. But it seems to be leaving owners of older devices behind.
Fossil Gen 6 watches – a shift in strategy
As far as Fossil Gen 6 watches, it was revealed there will be “premium” device. It will come with faster performance, increased battery life, more health features and LTE connectivity.
“All of the software benefits that Google’s talking about and launching with the unified platform is something we’ll be building into that as well,” McKelvey said.”
Unsurprisingly, “premium” specs will carry a steeper price tag. Apparently, it is the high-end Fossil watches that have been the area of greatest interest. Expect this Gen 6 watch to go against the likes of the Apple Watch and Samsungs.
As far as design, we can expect a variety of options across the different Fossil sub-brands such as Diesel and Skagen. These will present a mixture of looks and button configurations across a range of smartwatches and hybrids.
But a shift in strategy is clearly ahead. The company will still manufacture this wide range of hybrids and lower-end watches, but not to the same volume as before. Its focus going forward is going lie with the premium-end models.
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