Motorola today introduced the next generation of SmartWatch Moto 360, and to the great disappointment of Android friends, the gadget screen is still missing a piece.
The missing part of the Moto 360 is called a "shelf" by Motorola, while frustrated consumers call it a "flat tire." The singularity exists from Appliances of the first generation and as you can see in the photos it continues to exist in the second, while Motorola claims that it would like to get rid of it eventually.
During the duration of a press conference yesterday, VB asked Motorola lead designer Jim Wicks to explain the flaw.
VB: How do you react to review of the shelf? From the leaks, people are reacting negatively about what you call the shelf at the bottom of the watch.
Jim Wicks: We could move the shelf. We should have had a round screen with a thicker wreath or a larger watch, and we did not want to do that. We could have done it from the first but we chose not to do it.
The diameter at 46 mm instead of 42 mm is really important. What makes it a shelf, is that it hides some really important sensors - the distance sensor and others.
It is also its drivers screen, and in this way we can keep a very simple and thin wreath.
… You can see some designs that are rectangular, or have some metal coming out, that are really trying to cover things up. We do not do that, for the reasons I said. We wanted to have the best application. So looking at the other designs we decided that the shelf was the best design decision.
