It’s official, Microsoft today killed off the MSN Direct Smart Watch (aka SPOT Watches). No more new watches will be made.
I’ve been a fan of SPOT-based watches for a good four years now… so this is a bitter-sweet day. It’s a good day, because Microsoft is embracing MSN Direct on the idea I gave to them… which was MSN Direct for Windows Mobile. I made the pitch years ago, and it’s good to see it come to fruition.
The real deal-breaker for SPOT watches was that they were put between a rock and a hard place in terms of cost. The watches were too expensive to make in order to be mainstream, but couldn’t be taken to the next level (SideShow Integration) without making them cost about as much as a mid-range Rolex.
I’ll happily keep paying the yearly service fee until Microsoft shuts off the data stream, which I expect will be a year or two down the road. And, since I got a killer deal on a Suunto n3i, I’ll probably keep wearing the watch long after the radio signal goes dark.