Less than two years ago, a news item said that the world sold five smart watches and bracelets per second . I do not know if that figure is exact, but it is true that it is common to find someone who wears a smart bracelet or an Apple Watch . It is no longer something you see only on television in YouTube videos or Twitch broadcasts. Wearable technology is among us and the smart bracelet is the star, whether you do sports or not. Of course, you hardly see a Microsoft Band out there.
Currently, and as is the case with the smartphone or smartphone market, the cake is divided between two software platforms: WatchOS , exclusive to Apple Watch, and Wear OS (before Android Wear ), installed in different models of brands such as Samsung, Fitbit, Xiaomi or Sony. To name the main manufacturers. In 2020, the wearables market was worth nearly $ 28 billion. And by 2026 it is expected to reach the figure of 74,000 million dollars. But a year before the arrival of the two platforms from Apple and Google, Microsoft had already launched its own wearable based on Windows Phone , Microsoft's mobile operating system.
Those from Redmond wanted to be the first. 2012 is the year of release of the first smart watches and bracelets. The recently created Pebble and giants like Samsung and Sony opened a market that is currently growing. And Microsoft wanted its share of the pie by getting ahead of the Google and Apple launches. Microsoft Band started its journey very well. To the point that exceeded Microsoft's expectations , leaving the stores out of stock. But when they knew how to react, it was too late. The success of the Microsoft Band was brief but intense. Microsoft was not patient enough to continue the project, which it abandoned in 2016. Two years after the launch of its first Microsoft Band and a year after the launch of the second.
With Pebble started it all
The history of smart watches and the smart bracelet dates back to the 70s, when the first digital watches emerged. But that is another story. The inflection point at which the stage of what we call wearables begins and which stands out for bracelets and smart watches is 2012. Between April and May of that year, a Kickstarter project received 10 '3 million dollars to launch smart watches. The name of the manufacturer is Pebble , a small startup that wants to take on the big boys.
Thanks to the money invested, its first model will be released in 2013. The Pebble was a smartwatch with a 144×168 pixel LCD screen . In black and white. It had vibration, magnetometer, light sensors, and accelerometer. And by means of Bluetooth it communicated with Android phones and with iOS. To charge it, he used a modified USB cable. Its battery could last up to 7 days and was waterproof . In terms of software, it used its own Pebble OS operating system.
And although Pebble lowered the blinds at the end of 2016, it opened a path that took advantage of those who are the main manufacturers of watches and smart bracelets. The bases were clear in the Pebbles. And the current devices are all very similar in this regard. Similar designs, hardware full of sensors in greater or lesser quantity depending on the product range, compatibility with smartphones to configure them, etc.
Microsoft Band wants your pocket and your wrist
We said that Pebble launches its smartwatch in 2012. The first Microsoft Band will be released at the end of 2014. First in the US market in small quantities. And when they realized the success, in 2015 they launched their smart bracelet to the whole world. But let's go by parts.
In 2012, in the smartphone sector, there are three big sellers : Samsung, Apple and Nokia. The rest of the competitors will still take a while to stand out, and others are yet to come. For its part, Nokia, little by little, is going to lose strength. At the software level , Android is already the star, followed by iOS, which is exclusive to iPhone. And among other minor systems, such as Nokia's Symbian or BlackBerry's BlackBerry OS, there is one that tries to make a place for itself: Microsoft's Windows Phone.
The fact is that Microsoft is determined to have its market share in the booming mobile sector. On the one hand, with its Windows Phone , formerly Windows Mobile, which is installed on some Samsung and HTC models. However, it will not exceed 3.4% of the market, the highest figure it achieved in 2013. And now that the smart bracelet is emerging, Microsoft wants its own model. This way, you can weave an ecosystem of devices with Microsoft software.
The first Microsoft Band goes on sale
The first Microsoft Band will have a 1.4-inch capacitive TFT screen and a resolution of 320×106 pixels. 2MB of RAM, 64MB of flash storage, Bluetooth 4.0, a two-day battery life and compatibility with Android and iOS, as well as obviously supporting Windows Phone. Regarding sensors: heart rate monitor , three-axis accelerometer, gyrometer, GPS, microphone, ambient light sensor, ultraviolet ray sensor, skin temperature sensor , etc.
The device was very good, if we stick to what the press of the moment says. It had everything to be a next-generation wearable. Or as The Guardian said, one of the most advanced. So Microsoft puts it on sale on October 29, 2014 exclusively in the United States. In your online store and in some physical stores. Microsoft's bad forecast causes to sell out on the first day . Bad foresight or marketing operation? You will also have supply problems for this Christmas. So in March 2015 production will increase with a view to its launch in the United Kingdom in April of that year.
Author : Idiomaeditor (Wikipedia)
Second parts never was good
A year after seeing the light of the Microsoft Band, its second edition, the Microsoft Band 2 , is released. In addition to being sold in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, it can be purchased in Australia. On this occasion, the device has a 320×128 pixel AMOLED capacitive screen. The rest of the components are practically the same. It incorporates a barometer and its design adapts better to the wrist , unlike the first model, which is rougher.
And although it is still compatible with iOS and Android, it works better with Windows Phone, a platform with which you can reply to messages through Cortana , Microsoft's virtual assistant. Otherwise, the interface design is reminiscent of Windows 8, as in the previous model.
However, on October 3, 2016, less than two years after its launch, Microsoft stops selling its Microsoft Band smart bracelet. It started well but within a year the public lost interest. That and the arrival of Android Wear, now Wear OS, and later Apple Watch. Fierce competition and little patience from Microsoft who decided to abandon a product too soon. Even the failed Microsoft Zune left more time to exist.
Seeing opinions about it, apparently the powerful interior of the Microsoft Band were not up to its exterior. A screen that did not fit well on the wrist, an uncomfortable and rigid bracelet. They even came to compare it with a telematic control bracelet for espresso. Good reviews for its sensors and display, but bad for its comfort.
All in all, Microsoft has continued to support the sold Microsoft Bands until recently. It was not until 2019 that it stopped maintaining the associated mobile applications to integrate the bracelet with iOS and Android. That and the online platform Microsoft Health that made possible the functionalities associated with the measurement sensors of the smart bracelet. And there was even talk in June 2020 of a patent that gave rise to a future Microsoft Band 3 .
