Smartwatches are one of the most personal pieces of tech someone can use day-to-day. Not only does it come down to the style of the device, but also the look and feel of the operating system. For Apple users, the obvious choice is the Apple Watch, but other options are available as well. Today it has been revealed that Samsung’s smartwatch OS, Tizen, has surpassed Google’s Android Wear, but it still falls far behind Apple’s option.
According to a new report from Strategy Analytics (via Tizen Experts), during Q1 of 2017, Samsung’s Tizen OS overtook Google’s Android Wear for the first time with 19% of the overall market compared to Google’s 18%. What’s interesting to note here is that past reports predicted that Samsung’s OS would barely make a dent in the market at this point.
As impressive as it is that Tizen has grabbed the number two spot, it still pales in comparison to Apple’s efforts taking a whopping 57% of the market, solely with the Apple Watch.
What I found interesting about this change in the market is the availability of hardware. While Tizen only runs on Samsung proprietary devices such as the Gear S3, Gear S2, and Gear Fit devices, which are admittedly pretty great, Android Wear offers many more options. There are well over a dozen completely different Android Wear models on the market today, and many more coming later this year.
Obviously, Tizen’s growth only means so much. With Apple controlling the majority of the wearable market, it feels unlikely that Tizen will overtake Apple’s watchOS or even become a stronger competitor, especially if Apple continues to limit the functionality of third-party wearables connected to the iPhone.
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