“Having updated its smartwatch range less than six months after launching it, Samsung has learnt the hard way that it needs to offer more than just a second screen to appeal to customers. The company is clearly looking to piggyback on the trend for fitness tracking, which is the hottest area in wearables right now. By adding an accelerometer, gyroscope, and heart-rate monitor to the device, Samsung removes the need for a consumer to wear both a smartwatch and a separate tracking band.
“The use of Tizen in the devices is probably the most interesting aspect of the announcement. By using Tizen, Samsung has signaled that it is still committed to the OS, but that it is not ready for prime time just yet. Compared to using the OS in one of its smartphones, this is a relatively low-risk strategy for Samsung – not only are smartwatches a new and low-volume product, they are less dependent on a thriving third-party app ecosystem.”
By Nick Dillon, Senior Analyst at Ovum
