So you think Apple is going to dominate the smartwatch race? Not if a Japanese watchmaking firm has anything to say about it.
Casio Computer Co., the same folks that gave us the first digital wristwatch, is building their own smartwatch. They’re hoping their decades as a leading watchmaker will give them the edge over Apple and other smartwatch makers. Expect Casio to focus on comfort and durability, rather than just the technical aspects. This comes after Casio president?Kazuo Kashio’s resignation. His son assumes that role now. This is familiar territory for Casio. They’ve built watches with heart rate monitors, schedule managers, and other communication skills. Casio’s smartwatch will run you around $400, a little higher than the cheapest Apple iWatch. The release date is expected to be in March 2016. The Casio smartwatch target audience is men who enjoy outdoors, but obviously, anybody can get this watch. Casio is in great position to produce and launch such a watch. Between March 2014 and March 2015, Casio had it’s best year in sales. Right now, Apple owns 56% of the smartwatch pie, but that’s expected to drop dramatically in the next few years, thanks to competitors like Android and Casio. Here’s another reason why I think Casio is launching their smartwatch now: timing. In 2014, it’s estimated 3.6 million smartwatches were shipped. By 2020, that number will probably be 100 million.
So can Casio compete? I think it can, and maybe even beat Apple in the smartwatch game. Since the 1970s, they’ve led the way in watch innovation. They gave us the calculator watch, dictionary watch, TV remote control watch, gaming watch, the first camera watch, and the first MP3 player watch. How fitting they build the smartwatch. I‘m looking forward to see what they come up with. Looking at their track record, we can all expect to be surprised. Should Apple be afraid?