Smartwatches haven’t exactly caught fire with consumers in a way that manufacturers were hoping for. Practicality – or lack thereof – aside, much of the problem surrounding the wearable movement has to do with aesthetics.
Just like Google Glass, early smartwatches looked too techie and because of that, they never had a shot at mainstream success. Fortunately, companies have finally started to realize that fashion as it relates to wearables is just as (if not more) important than functionality.
Take Asus’ upcoming ZenWatch, for example. At first glance, it looks more like a premium watch than a geek-inspired gadget that straps around the wrist. It’s because of this that Asus is likely to sell out of the initial batch almost immediately. That's a bold statement but not if a new report from VR-Zone is accurate.
The publication claims Asus is preparing no more than 300 (yes, just three hundred) units in its initial run. What’s more, they say it’ll only be sold in Taiwan at launch. No specific reason for the extremely limited supply was given although one can make a couple of educated guesses as to what may be going on.
The obvious answer to the limited supply question is that Asus may have run into manufacturing issues. The watchface is embedded in a curved stainless steel chassis with Gorilla Glass 3 atop. It is possible that the curved nature of the device gave Asus some fits on the production line.
Then again, it’s not unusual for Asus to launch new devices in its home country first before a wider rollout. It’s possible that Asus may be limiting supply of the ZenWatch in Taiwan with plans for a larger global release shortly after.
As always, one should take this and any other rumor with a healthy dose of salt. We’ll keep our ears open and report back if we hear anything further on the matter.
Beautiful marketing.
