Garmin StopWatchface Copies – What Impact on Connect+?

Connect IQ watchface developer GreenBlack has stated on his blog that his most recent watchface designs for the Forerunner 970 and 570 have been rejected.

Future watchfaces can not use the original designs anymore. [GreenBlack]

This is an interesting move that clarifies some commercial and technical aspects of the ConnectIQ platform and also provides us with more insights into what Garmin’s subscription paywall in its Connect app might soon bring.

Copyright

At a simple level, Garmin is asserting its copyright over the designs mentioned for the 970 and 570.

I think the issues here are much more clear-cut than, say, early Coros watches being accused of ripping off Garmin Forerunner 235 designs or Ultrahuman ripping off Oura. Even if you might think the issue is not clear-cut, Garmin owns and operates the Connect IQ platform and can therefore accept or reject any app or watch face it pleases. It would take a financially well-backed developer to bring Garmin to court to contest such a decision.

I take no issue with non-monopoly companies protecting their property, digital or otherwise.

Attention

The key point to make now is that Garmin is paying closer attention and vetting third-party content in its ecosystem. Almost certainly, this is in response to three factors.

• Reducing spam app/watchfaces (#8)
• Revenue protection
• Intellectual Property rights protection

Garmin is addressing this now, coinciding with the launch of its significantly overpriced Connect+ paywall subscription service.

Commercial Imperative

GreenBlack and other developers produce watchfaces very similar to those of Garmin. Some are provided for free, and some are sold. It follows that there must be a market for Garmin’s new watch faces to be loaded and used on older watches.

every Garmin Instinct 3 Watch Face – AMOLED and SOLAR

In the future, this market can only be fulfilled in three ways

• Garmin sells individual watch faces in the Connect IQ Store. Garmin currently offers a wide range of poorly designed faces and some newer ones.
• Garmin bundles or sells watch faces into Connect+
• Illegally via 3rd parties! (perhaps side-loading)

Alternatively, Garmin may opt to keep new watch faces exclusive to new watches. That would be a valid way to differentiate new products and one way to encourage an upgrade, to some extent.

Opinion – Going forward

The appearance of a watch is fundamental to how often and when we wear it. Watch faces are a hugely important aspect of smartwatches, frequently overlooked due to poor design. Many sports watch companies are guilty of poor watchface design, but smartwatches are less guilty, as evidenced by the excellent designs of some Chinese smartwatch brands.

In recent years, Garmin has seemed to catch on to this, often adding the occasional watch face at launch that doesn’t offend my aesthetic taste. (personal, of course)

Garmin Fenix 8 – its 9 new watch faces – in detail

Sometimes one or two of the newer faces get passed to slightly older watches, sometimes not. I’d have to look at this in detail, but it feels like Garmin treats some new watchfaces like new features i.e., they are unlikely to be passed down to older model watches. So, a new Quatix 8 face probably won’t be ‘compatible’ with a Quatix 7. This current behaviour will continue in the short term.

I also suspect that in the short term, Garmin will continue to offer novelty watch faces, as well as a mix of excellent and poorly designed ones, on Connect, either for free or for a fee. This is a marginally profitable exercise for the company, as evidenced by the Lilo & Stitch face, which has just passed the century download mark, making just over $500.

every Garmin forerunner 970 Watch Face

However, the innovation I see happening is that bundles of fairly recent watchfaces will be continually added to Connect+. Thus Fenix 7 Pro faces and Forerunner 965 faces might become available to anyone with a Connect+ subscription. Garmin’s paywall has to be given value – this is one way to do that. Another way would be for Connect+ subscribers to get free access to any Garmin watchface.

 

More: watchface.io

Story via Garmin Rumours, Reddit and Developer