It's 'almost time' for a 'brand new' version of Google's Wear OS (which Samsung approves of)
Just because this year's edition of the annual Google I/O developer conference is set to take place virtually rather than physically host thousands of the search giant's most hardcore fans in a glamorous venue like Mountain View's Shoreline Amphitheatre, that doesn't mean tech enthusiasts should ignore what's coming between May 18 and 20.
We already know Android 12 will be a pretty big deal (when it rolls out in stable form sometime in the fall), and while the Pixel 5a may not be ready for primetime yet (let alone the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro), the budget-friendly Pixel Buds A-Series are all but guaranteed to see daylight this week.
Obviously, there's a lot more to get excited about on the software release front, including a "brand new Wear version" that's making headlines for the very first time today. In all honesty, we don't know anything of substance about this yet, but it is apparently "almost time" for it to go official, and something tells us Samsung will be paying close attention to its reception.
The time has come for #GoogleIO.
— Wear OS by Google (@WearOSbyGoogle) May 17, 2021
Join us tomorrow for a look at what’s new on Wear OS. pic.twitter.com/ylGiIevTc4
That's because the world's largest smartphone manufacturer and second-largest smartwatch vendor is reportedly preparing a shocking and rather abrupt move from its own in-house Tizen software platform to Google's Wear OS for this year's Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch Active 4 (or 3).
While Samsung is likely to take its sweet time tweaking this "new version" of Wear OS until presumably releasing its next-gen intelligent timepieces in August (or maybe as early as July), the untimely and completely unexpected Tizen death could finally put Google's long-struggling operating system for your wrist on the global map of a thriving industry.
After all, these are the makers of not one but two of the best smartwatches money can buy right now, so if there's someone that can save Wear OS, that's definitely Samsung.
Of course, Google still needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting, getting people to care about a platform that's been running on autopilot for the better part of a decade now. And no, a new app or two will most definitely not cut it this time around.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: