Google may be about to lose one of its original Android Wear hardware partners. The hit-and-miss Digitimes reports that ASUS may be about to discontinue its line of ZenWatch smartwatches due to disappointing sales. According to supply chain sources, ASUS is only shipping between 5,000 and 6,000 units of its ZenWatch family of devices per month.
Asus unveiled the original ZenWatch back in 2014. The first successor, the aptly named ZenWatch 2 followed in September 2015. The latest model, the ZenWatch 3, was unveile last September at IFA 2016.
ASUS ZenWatch 3 specifications:
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100
- Operating system: Android Wear
- Cellular connectivity: None
- Other connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
- Display: 1.39-inch (400×400 / 287 PPI) AMOLED touchscreen
- RAM: 512MB
- Internal storage: 4GB
- External storage: None
- Sensors: 6-axis (G+A), ambient light
- Battery: 340mAh
- Dimensions: 45 × 45 × 9.95 to 10.75 millimeters
- Colours: Silver, Gunmetal, Rose Gold
- Other: IP67 water resistance
Should ASUS indeed throw in the towel on Android Wear, only Huawei and LG will remain as Google’s original partners. Other manufacturers who have stopped offering wearables powered by Google’s operating system include both Motorola and Samsung, the latter to offer wearables powered by its own Tizen mobile operating system. Fortunately for Google, a number of new partners, including many fashion houses, have emerged to offer alternatives. Among these are Fossil and Tag Heuer which recently unveiled the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45, its second smartwatch model.
ASUS has not confirmed the rumours at this point.
Source : Digitimes