Suunto 7 Successor

but with no firmware updates in 10 months, no security updates in 7 months

I still naively think that this wait is somehow related to the acquisition of Suunto so I still hope they release something cool sooner or later

olymay

@g-q said in Suunto 7 Successor:

@olymay said in Suunto 7 Successor:

but with no firmware updates in 10 months, no security updates in 7 months

I still naively think that this wait is somehow related to the acquisition of Suunto so I still hope they release something cool sooner or later

I want to believe this, I really do. I’m a very hopeful and optimistic person, so I won’t rule anything out.

But deep down I can’t help but feel the S7 is dead to Suunto

Aleksander H

@egika said in Suunto 7 Successor:

the 7 is made in China…

People always forget that hardware is only part of the cost. Software is often very expensive to develop. Especially when development of said software continues after release of the hardware. We’re paying for hardware, software and everything else that surrounds the development of the product (HR for instance).

Yes, other companies have these costs, but many other companies stop caring about the software on their device once they launch, or they sell so many the don’t need as high a margin per device (Samsung for instance).

A Suunto 7 without Suunto apps (just vanilla Wear OS) would probably be quite a bit cheaper for Suunto to produce.

Aleksander H

@aleksander-h and I see now that others raised the same point. I forgot to refresh the page before answering

olymay

@aleksander-h said in Suunto 7 Successor:

@egika said in Suunto 7 Successor:

the 7 is made in China…

People always forget that hardware is only part of the cost. Software is often very expensive to develop. Especially when development of said software continues after release of the hardware. We’re paying for hardware, software and everything else that surrounds the development of the product (HR for instance).

Yes, other companies have these costs, but many other companies stop caring about the software on their device once they launch, or they sell so many the don’t need as high a margin per device (Samsung for instance).

A Suunto 7 without Suunto apps (just vanilla Wear OS) would probably be quite a bit cheaper for Suunto to produce.

As Suunto have already developed the Suunto app for WearOS, the initial cost has been spent (and hopefully recouped). AS you mention there are ongoing costs of support and continued development (which from my experience Suunto do VERY well!) but these would surely be offset by device sales?

Aleksander H

@olymay yeah, my post was based on the cost of the device when they were still pushing updates. I actually have no idea what it sells for right now.

That said, although they aren’t pushing updates to the watch, they are pushing updates to the phone app. Features that often give our watch more value, such as the TP metrics. So even now, I’d say that my argument still holds some value

olymay

@aleksander-h agreed, I love the Suunto app on my phone and the fact it gets regular updates is fantastic!

However this app applies to all watches, not just the S7. And I’m pretty certain (although I haven’t tried it) that with a chest HR strap the phone app could be use don it’s own without even buying a Suunto watch.

trinitao

@olymay said in Suunto 7 Successor:

But deep down I can’t help but feel the S7 is dead to Suunto

I put some hope in the new Chinese owners. As far as I know the Asian market is pretty tech-friendly and therefore should be more interested in a real smartwatch than a sports watch with proprietary OS. But maybe that’s just the hope speaking out of me.

Aleksander H

@trinitao new company already sells a bunch of watches with a proprietary OS. Very curious to see if things change with new owner.

isazi

@aleksander-h the sale to the new owner is not complete yet, probably it will be complete before summer.

Aleksander H

@isazi said in Suunto 7 Successor:

@aleksander-h the sale to the new owner is not complete yet, probably it will be complete before summer.

Oh, right. Thanks for the correction

L C

Great analyses. Today, Fossil announced they would not make any more Wear OS watches and planned to exit the market immediately.

The last Fossil Wear OS watch was released in 2021.

Google made a poor decision by forcing Wear 3.0 to be a Google and Samsung hardware duopoly