A selection of Windows 10 powered wearables could be on the horizon, Microsoft has hinted ahead of the platform’s upcoming release.
Describing the 2014 launched Microsoft Band as the company’s ‘entrée into the wearables space’, Microsoft has confirmed plans to further pursue wearable gadgets, suggesting Windows 10 could be at the heart of future products.
“We’re very interested in the wearables space and you will continue to see us in it,” Greg Sullivan, Microsoft’s Marketing Director for Windows Phone said speaking with TrustedReviews this week.
He added: “We’re very interested in the space and we’ve architected Windows 10 so it can work on the broadest range of devices.”
Although not an out-and-out confirmation that Windows 10 wearables are in the works, Sullivan continued to drop hints that the platform would soon power all manner of wrist and body adorning tech.
“One of our key differentiators is that we don’t have a different strategy for wearables and a different strategy for phones and tablets, and then a different one for laptops and large screen devices,” he stated.
“We are really pleased with the reception we’ve had to the Microsoft Band. I think you’re seeing this as an entrée into the market. We relatively quietly entered it late last year and looked at it as a test run.”
What form these wearable gadgets will take is still open for debate. Pushed on whether we would soon be seeing Microsoft’s first Android Wear rivalling smartwatch, Sullivan remained vague on details but refused to rule anything out.
“It is absolutely our strategy to expand but I don’t think we would constrain our discussion just to the direction of being comparable to Android Wear in the wearables space,” he stated.
“We are thinking more broadly about the Internet of Things in general and the devices and wearables that will participate in that spectrum.
“The short answer is yes, it includes that [wrist-based gadgets], but not just that.”
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With Windows 10 set to launch later this year as an all-encompassing platform, the company has suggested the software will be used to power everything from smartphones and tablets to laptops and, of course, wearable tech.
Expect further details around Windows 10 and Microsoft’s wearable plans during the company’s annual Build conference between April 29 and May 1.