‘Made by Google’ wearables are coming as Google invests in Wear OS’ future

Ben Schoon | Nov 1 2019 - 6:32 am PT

Well, it happened. Google has officially announced plans to acquire leading wearable maker Fitbit. In a post, Google explains that this acquisition is largely to bolster the company’s Wear OS platform and also to help bring Made by Google wearables to market.

Google’s Sameer Samat explains that the company is proud of the progress it has made with Wear OS over the past 5 years, but that they’ve also “admired” what other companies have brought to the table.

The acquisition of Fitbit will bring a “new opportunity” to Wear OS which will “bring the best of our smartwatch platforms and health applications together.” That extends to Google’s Wear OS partners too, apparently. It’s still largely unclear how this will all manifest in the future, though, as Google has been very light on details.

This agreement underscores our belief in how important wearable tech has become, and it’s also an exciting opportunity for Wear OS. We’re looking forward to collaborating with Fitbit to bring the best of our smartwatch platforms and health applications together, and enabling our partners to build the next generation of wearables.

Perhaps more importantly, Google’s Rick Osterloh confirmed that this deal will help bring Made by Google wearables to the market at some point in the future. There’s no timeline on this yet, but Google “sees an opportunity” to “spur innovation in wearables.”

Over the years, Google has made progress with partners in this space with Wear OS and Google Fit, but we see an opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices into the market.

As exciting as this all sounds, though, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Google has reportedly tried to deliver self-branded smartwatches in the past, but those endeavors were abandoned and eventually released as the poorly-received LG Watch Sport and Watch Style.