Timing is everything in business. Take for example, the two titans of the smartphone market Apple and Samsung. Both are currently waging a battle to out innovate each other.
When news broke that Apple was planning to move up the launch date of its iPhone 6 by a month from September to August, speculation immediately started if the Cupertino, Calif.-based computing giant would surprise everyone with a smartwatch announcements to coincide with the release of the iPhone 6. By the way, the launch date news is an unconfirmed report.
Now comes news that Samsung, which already has a smartwatch in the market called the Galaxy Gear, is about to release a new one that can make and receive calls without being tethered to a smartphone.
The tethering process is what is currently holding back the smartwatch market. I recently tested a Pebble Technology smartwatch and while I really like the product the fact that I must use it with smartphone running iOS or Android does not make it a user friendly product.
If people want to use a watch to communicate with others like comic book hero Dick Tracy then that’s what they are looking for. Right now the smartwatch is an aid to a smartphone. Speculation has it that the new Samsung smartwatch will run the Tizen operation system and be able to snap photos, send and receive email and have a heart monitor. Wouldn’t it be something if the new Samsung smartwatch could send verbally captured messages like Dick Tracy? Don’t expect anything less.
Fierce competitors such as Apple and Samsung have to come up with new devices if they want to grow and impress shareholders because the smartphone market is currently flooded with devices and it’s looking like no one is standing out.
But make no mistake this new smartwatch from Samsung is a shot at Apple in an attempt to scuttle their plans for iPhone 6 plus the surprise announcement that Apple is known to do during one of their new product releases.
Like I said timing is everything.
Four quick hits before I go: Changes are coming at Avaya as the company has appointed two new members of the company’s senior executive council: Amy Fliegelman Olli as senior vice president and general counsel and Andrea Cunningham as chief marketing officer.
Charles Duffet, one of the leading experts in information communications and technology has been appointed senior vice president & CIO of CATAlliance. Duffet used to be the senior advisor with the Federal Government dealing with modernization issues. He also served as VP with the Adga Group and head of Information Technology at Abbott Point of Care and became CIO of GE Medical Point of Care Division. Previously, Duffet held leadership positions at Alcatel, Newbridge Networks and Bay Networks/Nortel.
Maxta, a storage vendor, announced the appointment of 25-year technology industry executive Carolyn Crandall as its vice president of marketing. Most recently, Crandall was Vice President of Corporate and Field Marketing for Nimble Storage.
And, value-added distributor Avnet announced the appointment of William J. Amelio, CEO and president of CHC Group Ltd., to its board of directors. Previously, Amelio served as president and CEO of Lenovo Group; and as senior vice president, Asia-Pacific and Japan of Dell, Inc. Additionally, his experience includes leadership roles at NCR Corp., Honeywell International, Inc. and IBM Corp.
