I will be the one to say it: Put on OS is formally good now. The mix of Put on OS 5 software program and Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch {hardware} has made one of the best Put on OS smartwatches actual Apple Watch opponents. In reality, I briefly ditched my Apple Watch Extremely for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional earlier than deciding on the Garmin Enduro 3 as my every day driver.
However there isn’t any denying Put on OS nonetheless has work to do. The platform remains to be rising, and the Apple Watch remains to be a extra engaging product for software program and {hardware} growth groups to construct for. For instance, based on April 2024 knowledge from Counterpoint Analysis, Put on OS is anticipated to carry 27% of the smartwatch market share exterior of China. That is a big uptick from final yr, though it is nonetheless nothing in comparison with Apple’s 49% projected market share.
Even when Put on OS is clawing again a few of Apple’s watchOS market share — and that seems to be the case — there’s proof to counsel that Apple Watch customers is perhaps extra worthwhile to third-party corporations constructing apps and equipment. Knowledge is sparse, however a 2023 evaluation from Asymco estimated that iPhone customers spend roughly seven instances extra on apps than Android customers.
How does that translate to Put on OS apps and equipment? The reality is, we will not know for positive. Nonetheless, I might guess that Apple Watch house owners are much more more likely to buy watchOS apps and third-party straps, circumstances, and different equipment than one of the best Put on OS smartwatch house owners. To be clear, that is not a knock on Put on OS customers. Android, and by extension Put on OS, has at all times been the platform for people who find themselves considerate — perhaps even frugal — with their money.
These two knowledge factors mix to create an unlucky drawback for Put on OS. Builders and product designers simply do not spend as a lot time bringing their apps and concepts to Put on OS smartwatches. Do not get me incorrect, there are some nice Put on OS apps.
Nonetheless, even when an app is out there on watchOS and Put on OS, the watchOS app could also be higher. An incredible instance of that is the Nike Run Membership app, which I depend upon for coaching. New options would possibly keep unique to watchOS eternally, and the app generally refuses to run on sure Put on OS {hardware}.
After all, the larger drawback is when an app or accent you want is not out there on Put on OS in any respect. That is what occurred to me this month… twice. First, Tesla introduced plans to convey its cellular app to smartwatches as a part of its 2024 Vacation Replace. There was a catch, although — the Tesla app is just out there on watchOS.
On prime of that, Tesla did not even point out Put on OS. The platform wasn’t a thought or a consideration, at the very least, not a sufficiently big one to warrant public acknowledgment.
I pulled my Apple Watch actually out of the closet simply to check the Tesla app on watchOS. There are not any surprises right here: it is good, and really helpful. You possibly can management your automobile out of your wrist, use your Apple Watch as a key, and extra. It is extremely handy throughout instances while you need to depart your telephone within the automobile, and even at residence.
I do not like bringing my telephone with me after I go to the monitor and run, and now I haven’t got to. My Apple Watch tracks my run (with a full-fledged Nike Run Membership app), performs music by my Bluetooth earbuds, and now begins my automobile.
Coincidentally, this app debuted the very same month because the TinyPod. Except you are a part of the Apple Watch and iPod niches, you most likely do not know what that’s. Put merely, the TinyPod is an Apple Watch case that provides a scroll wheel — just like the one on previous iPods — to your smartwatch.
It is a gimmick, however one you’d by no means discover on a Put on OS watch. There is not a single model that makes Put on OS sufficiently big to justify startups, and even main accent makes to create cool initiatives, just like the TinyPod, for his or her merchandise. Most corporations will not even trouble to make an app, like Tesla, at the very least for now.
The excellent news is that in the event you do not personal a Tesla and are not nostalgic for iPods, you most likely will not really feel such as you’re lacking out by not having a Tesla app or intelligent case in your Put on OS smartwatches. Nonetheless, these two new releases underscore an issue that you simply would possibly run into — there merely aren’t as many choices for Put on OS. Whether or not you are on the lookout for a fully-featured app or a customized strap, the Apple Watch will at all times have extra selections out there in comparison with a Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, or OnePlus Watch.
Hopefully, Put on OS will develop into extra engaging to builders and product designers because it continues to develop. If the aforementioned Counterpoint projections are correct, Put on OS market share exterior of China could have grown by greater than 5% in 2024 alone. It’s going to even have pushed watchOS beneath 50% market share for the primary time in years.
These are spectacular feats, and all Put on OS followers can do is hope that the apps and equipment come alongside the platform’s success.
