Google rebrands Android Wear to 'Wear OS by Google'

There's been a long lull in Android Wear news, specially since smartphone companies left the platform in droves while traditional consumer watchmakers adopted the format bringing down the price and expanding the variety of connected timepieces available. No one seemed to notice.

The biggest issue with Android Wear is that it is stuck in circa 2014 hardware from Qualcomm, heavily limiting modern software features. Now rebranded as 'Wear OS by Google,' it looks like they are hoping to kickstart interest in the wearable platform. This isn't a great time for Google to mount an offensive. The Apple Watch is already the dominant smart watch (even as it is limited to iPhone use) and Fitbit has proven to be the master of fitness trackers now stepping up into the smartwatch space with more modest pricing.

'Wear OS by Google,' divorces the OS from Android and gives Google the option of catering to iOS and Android smartphone users. A smart move but one that might be too late, specially if there's no compelling new hardware out there.