In the morning of April 19, Beijing time, Microsoft originally planned to launch a 'Joule' heart rate monitoring accessory for Xbox, but later decided to focus on smart watches, the source said. The Wall Street Journal this week quoted supply chain sources as saying that Microsoft is ordering a 1.5-inch touch screen from component manufacturers.
According to the source, Microsoft's smart watch is still in the prototype stage, and the development team of Xbox accessories and Kinect somatosensory controller are currently developing this product. The wristband of the watch will be detachable, and one of the prototypes uses magnetic connection technology similar to the surface tablet. A connector like MagSafe will have five pins to transmit power and data. However, the source said that this is only a prototype design, and there may be no connector in the final design.
In 2004, Microsoft launched the smart watch of spot brand. The watch uses FM radio signals to get news, weather forecasts and stock market information. Microsoft stopped producing the product in 2008 and canceled the project last year. Microsoft veteran bill Buxton recently talked about the 37 year history of smart watches at Microsoft's TechFest conference.