We continue to wait patiently for the arrival of the Google Pixel Watch, but according to the latest from the rumor mill we might have to hang on for a few months yet – it seems the wearable might not launch until October, alongside the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro.
That’s according to well-known tech tipster Jon Prosser on Twitter, who says that the smartwatch is going to be teased at the Google IO event in May before getting a full announcement and launch later on in the year.
Prosser – who has less than a 100 percent record with tech predictions – also says the Google Pixel 6a will be fully unveiled at Google IO, which runs from May 11 to May 12. That device is said to be going on sale on July 28.
Watch this space
The last we heard from Prosser, he was suggesting that the launch of the Pixel Watch – as in the date it would get properly unveiled and go on sale – was going to be pushed back from around Google IO time to later in the year. That has now come to pass.
It’s the global chip shortage that once again seems to be to blame, with manufacturers across the tech industry scrambling to find enough components to put in their products. While the problems do seem to be easing, the effects continue to be felt.
We’ll be watching closely when Google IO 2022 gets underway on May 11. Ostensibly an event for developers to learn more about Google’s software platforms, it has occasionally been used to launch a hardware product or two in previous years.
Analysis: a gadget Google needs to get right
Take a trip through the TechRadar archives and you’ll see that we’ve been waiting for the Pixel Watch for an awfully long time. It was at one stage expected to launch alongside the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL back in 2018, for example – which obviously didn’t happen.
Fitbit’s acquisition by Google’s parent company Alphabet, completed in 2021 – for a hefty $2.1 billion – gave new impetus to the Pixel Watch rumors. As yet though, we’re still waiting for the flagship wearable to make its public debut.
Google seems to have refocused its efforts on Pixel hardware lately, specifically with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro – devices that really give the best phones on the market something to think about. That’s a good sign that the Pixel Watch could be here soon.
With the Apple Watch dominating the market and Samsung also boasting a strong smartwatch line-up, it’s perhaps no bad thing that Google is taking its time: it needs to get the Pixel Watch right to make sure it’s a serious competitor to what’s already out.