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TAG Heuer Announces Smartwatch Plans as Threat From Apple Watch Looms

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High-end Swiss watchmakers have generally been publicly dismissive of any threat posed by Apple's upcoming smartwatch, but now that the Watch is creeping closer to launch, fashion watch leaders are starting to take notice. According to Reuters, Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer has changed course and begun preparing a smartwatch and is willing to forge partnerships and acquire companies in order to produce an original luxury offering to compete with Apple Watch.

TAG-Heuer.jpg
This endeavor is a marked change for the luxury watch maker, which is the largest brand under LVMH's umbrella. Following Apple's Watch announcement, LVMH watch chief and TAG Heuer interim chief executive Jean-Claude Biver dismissed the smart watch, saying it was "too feminine" and looked like "it was designed by a student in their first trimester." He added that smartwatches such as the Apple Watch will soon be outdated, while "luxury always has something timeless."

Biver admits he has changed his mind on the smartwatch category and already has outlined plans for a smartwatch device. He also has negotiated several partnerships and is open to future acquisitions if necessary to help jumpstart this smartwatch project.
"We started on the project about four months ago. We have done several partnerships and might also do acquisitions," Biver, head of LVMH watches and TAG Heuer interim chief executive, told journalists at the brand's headquarters at La Chaux-de-Fonds in western Switzerland.
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Among the companies rumored to be working with TAG Heuer are Google and Intel, the latter of which could provide the microprocessor that drives the watch. The TAG Heuer watch is rumored to include mechanical actions accompanied by sensors to monitor physical parameters such as steps moved and calories burned.

Biver said his company would only do a watch if the company can be "first, different and unique." He also confirmed he won't make an announcement until he has a quality product to showcase, which could take as long as late 2015.

If it does launch a smartwatch, TAG Heuer will have to compete with Apple's Watch device, which is scheduled for an early 2015 debut. Apple is producing several variants of its Watch including a standard model, a sports model and a luxury Watch Edition, which features an 18-karat gold casing, sapphire crystal display, and exquisitely designed band selections.

Article Link: TAG Heuer Announces Smartwatch Plans as Threat From Apple Watch Looms
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/16/tag-heuer-smartwatch/
ozziegn

ozziegn

macrumors 65816
Aug 16, 2007
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Apple will have nothing to fear once they drop the F-bomb (iWatch) on the world. They set the standard on smartphones and they'll do the same for smart watches.
 
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brendu

Cancelled
Apr 23, 2009
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Good luck with quality software. I will be floored if they release anything better than mediocre software on a beautifully crafted watch.
 
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PlutoPrime

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2009
132
315
ozziegn said:
Apple will have nothing to fear once they drop the F-bomb (iWatch) on the world
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Apple doesn't like it when you call Apple Watch the iWatch. Want proof? Type "iWatch" in an iMessage chat window and observe auto-correct change it to watch. ****ing auto-correct.
 
itr81

itr81

macrumors regular
Jul 12, 2010
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Que the apple watch/tag heuer edition apple watch. Electronics by apple, body by tag heuer. Priced reasonably around $3-5k. #
 
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TWSS37

macrumors 65816
Feb 4, 2011
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This might be an instance in which not controlling the hardware design might be a good idea. As it stands, only Apple will make iWatch, so by default every other watchmaker who wants to get in this space will have to use Android. This seems short sighted to think that Apple knows how to design a better luxury watch than TAG.
 
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brendu

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Apr 23, 2009
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d4rkc4sm said:
building a product out of fear, not passion, will result in failure.
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This won't be made out of fear. They are preparing for a possible shift in the market they participate in. The problem I see is that unless they use android wear they won't have a product worth selling. I don't see any of these high end Swiss watchmakers being particularly good at making custom software that will be able to compete with what Apple and Google have (and haven't yet) shown us.
 
cmChimera

cmChimera

macrumors 601
Feb 12, 2010
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Lol. Why don't they just say: "We saw the Apple Watch and immediately realized we were f*cked."
 
wdowell

wdowell

macrumors member
Jul 6, 2008
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FR
brendu said:
Good luck with quality software. I will be floored if they release anything better than mediocre software on a beautifully crafted watch.
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They seem open to partnerships - so perhaps it'll be Android Wear powered. It would make sense - they focus on the jewellery aspect, and perhaps even have a third company helping with electronics, and have Google provider the software lawyer.

Or are you suggesting Android Wear is rubbish (seems great to me fro what i've seen - It's the ugly watches that it's currently stuck on that does my head in !)

I can well imagine a scenarios where many vendors, swiss and otherwise, can make Android Wear as big as Android's ecosystem.
 
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Bare

macrumors regular
Jun 17, 2008
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Fairly comical considering the big watchmakers kept claiming that they weren't scared.
 
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brendu

Cancelled
Apr 23, 2009
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TWSS37 said:
This might be an instance in which not controlling the hardware design might be a good idea. As it stands, only Apple will make iWatch, so by default every other watchmaker who wants to get in this space will have to use Android. This seems short sighted to think that Apple knows how to design a better luxury watch than TAG.
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Apple didn't just make a luxury watch. They made a watch for everyone- sporty, casual, or luxury. I don't think apple will ever dominate the luxury watch market as we now know it but Apple will likely create and dominate the $300-$1000 smartwatch market.

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TWSS37 said:
1080p, is that you?!
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Lol nope. Just being difficult.
 
M

Mystic386

macrumors regular
Nov 18, 2011
162
40
What I read was, Google to take on :apple:Watch.

Google has commenced a programme of taking on Apple's new watch. Google is bringing together partners in watchmaking and electronics to accelerate the development.

This Google strategy was used successfully previously when it took on the iPhone, pulling in handset manufacturers and finally making a good go of competing with it's Samsung alliance.

For it's challenge to the Apple Watch Google has pulled in Intel for the electronics and TAG Heuer for the watch and hope to emulate their Android successes. Google are yet to announce the other dozen or so watch makers they are partnering with.

Google's resources combined with an established watchmaker and established electronics company should in a few years yield some exciting results.
 
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brendu

Cancelled
Apr 23, 2009
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wdowell said:
They seem open to partnerships - so perhaps it'll be Android Wear powered. It would make sense - they focus on the jewellery aspect, and perhaps even have a third company helping with electronics, and have Google provider the software lawyer.

Or are you suggesting Android Wear is rubbish (seems great to me fro what i've seen - It's the ugly watches that it's currently stuck on that does my head in !)

I can well imagine a scenarios where many vendors, swiss and otherwise, can make Android Wear as big as Android's ecosystem.
Click to expand...

I see. No wasn't saying android wear is bad. I actually like the looks of it and like that it will foster competition on my wrist as strong as the competition in smartphones. It would make the most sense so I agree we will likely see these luxury smart watches coming with android wear. But if you own an iPhone, good luck getting one of these to play nice.
 
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