Although the tech industry appears to be doing everything in its power to make wearable devices the next big thing, the concept of the smartwatch is actually quite old. Looking back, we’ve come across ZDNet’s pictorial history of the smartwatch, from IBM’s bulky, blocky WatchPad to the crowdfunding phenomenon that is Pebble. Sony, Microsoft and even Fossil make appearances on the list, each in an attempt to start a trend that still hasn’t caught on years later.
Since the piece was originally published, Samsung made its now infamous entrance into the wearable market with the Galaxy Gear, putting the smartwatch back in the public eye, if nothing else. There’s still a long road ahead for the emerging market, but between the new Gear models and the announcement of Android Wear, smartwatches have a better chance than ever of making an impact. Check out the feature at ZDNet.
