a smartwatch to go with this?
HTC has admitted it has been forced to delay the launch of its first wearable devices, on the eve of its much-anticipated media event on Wednesday.
The company revealed it had planned to have wearable devices available right now but, as reports last month suggested, the firm had opted against showing its hand.
Confirming those reports, HTC USA’s Jason Mackenzie said it did not announce the devices as they just weren’t ready for prime time just yet.
“We had originally planned to have a wearable launch in this time frame,” Mackenzie told Re/code. “It ended up just not being ready.”
HTC said it will reveal more about its strategy for wearables early next year, which suggests details will be outed at the CES or MWC expos in the first two months of 2015.
The company also hit out at the wearables already on the market, claiming there are few compelling reasons for users to splash out on an expensive smartwatch.
Drew Bamford, head of the HTC Creative Labs team, said: “We’ve seen a lot of general purpose wearables come to market,” he said.
“There’s not a strong reason to wear one every day. When we come to market with our product we want to make sure the product has a strong point of view and there is a really compelling reason to strap it on your wrist.”
Reports in August had suggested that HTC had a smartwatch and a fitness tracker up its sleeve. Whether those will be the devices that eventually arrive next year remains to be seen.
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