Google is trying to make some interesting hires, indicating it has some major hardware ambitions for wearables. Or does it?
Android Police noticed two new job listings at Google for a “Vice President, Hardware Engineering, Wearables” and “Wearables Design Manager, Consumer Hardware". Pair this with the fact that Google recently spent $40 million on wearable technology from Fossil, and it's safe to assume the company wants to develop some sort of wearable device to show off Wear OS, which, apart from "fashion timepieces", lacks serious hardware.
There are many other leaks and hints we could add up to determine whether Google is developing its own smartwatch, but none of the information available has been confirmed by Google. Rumors about it making a “Pixel Watch” have been swirling around for years, and yet, last August, Google’s director of engineering for Wear OS, Miles Barr, said: “To think of a one-size-fits-all watch, I don’t think we’re there yet...Our focus is on our partners for now.”
Still, the rumours won't die, probably due to even more recent smartwatch clues spotted in code. So, what does it all mean?
Is Google making its own smartwatch, or not? Who knows, honestly.
We doubt it'd hire a "VP of Hardware for Wearables" if it had no plans at all, but then again, wearables could also mean things like headphones.
It's anybody's best guess at this point.