At the annual South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, Google (GOOGL 0.35%) unveiled plans to introduce a software development kit, or SDK, for developers to create apps for Android-powered wearable devices. Will the move force Apple (AAPL -0.57%) to respond?
Host Ellen Bowman puts this question to Fool analysts Nathan Alderman and Tim Beyers in this week's episode of 1-Up on Wall Street, The Motley Fool's Web show in which we talk about the big-money names behind your favorite movies, toys, video games, comics, and more.
Nathan says the strategy is classic Google: devise an experiment and let developers and entrepreneurs design products to take advantage of the underlying system. We could very well see a flood of new devices within a few months after the SDK gets into developers' hands, especially now that Samsung (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF) plans to use its own operating system, Tizen, as the basis for its next generation of smart watches.
Tim agrees but also notes that Apple is already busy at work on something in the wearables space. Whether it's an iWatch or some other devices we haven't yet considered isn't the point. The Mac maker has hired serious talent from the fashion industry to gain a foothold in stylish wearables.
Bottom line: While their approaches may be different -- even wildly so -- investors can expect Apple and Google to commit the resources necessary to make a play at winning a big share of this growing market.
Now it's your turn to weigh in using the comments box below. Do you trust Google enough to wear Android-powered devices? Are you waiting for Apple's entry into the wearables market? Please watch the video as Ellen puts Nathan and Tim on the spot, and be sure to check back here often for more 1-Up on Wall Street segments.
