Ten years ago this week we published one of the strangest and most fascinating stories of the Windows Phone era: the unpublished from Microsoft. Lunaraker smart watch It was a frozen moment in time when Microsoft was still experimenting with bold hardware ideas, still trying to carve out a future in mobile, and still convinced it could build an ecosystem that extended from your PC to your wrist.
(Later we got our hands on a prototype of an even earlier idea, he Xbox joulesMicrosoft’s canceled fitness watch for gamers).
Looking back now, Moonraker feels like a glimpse into an alternate timeline. A smartwatch with personality, color, and a user interface that leans into Metro’s design language rather than shying away from it. It was never released, but it showed how close Microsoft was to having a wearable strategy years before the Apple Watch reshaped the category.
A decade later, Moonraker stands as one of those “what could have been” moments that defined the Windows Phone era as ambitious, stylish, and ultimately abandoned just before the industry took off. — Daniel Rubino, editor in chief
The original article, “Meet the Moonraker, Microsoft’s unreleased smartwatch,” was published on June 12, 2016by Rich Edmonds.
New images have been found on the Tumblr account owned by Microsoft design employee Pei-Chi Hsie, clearly showing a smartwatch running Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Codenamed Microsoft Moonraker (model LS-50), this smartwatch appears to sport a modern Windows Phone-like user interface.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy this device and we’re also not sure if it will ever see the light of day. According to information obtained by The edgeThis smartwatch was canceled by Microsoft after taking over Nokia’s devices and services division.
“Sources familiar with Nokia’s plans told The Verge that the Finnish company was developing a “Moonraker” smartwatch that took advantage of many of the modern Windows Phone design aesthetics. Working prototype devices were shown to potential customers at Mobile World Congress last year, and the smartwatch was close to launch. Nokia was planning to reveal its smartwatch alongside the Lumia 930, and Microsoft canceled it when the company acquired Nokia’s phone business.”
The device was to be presented together with the lumia 930offering support for reading texts by raising your arm or lowering the watch to turn off the screen. The images were spotted by Evan Blass, who shared some details on Twitter: Behold, Microsoft Moonraker (via http://t.co/f9wmwd8k8c) pic.twitter.com/k2cRZdS1md
—Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 12, 2015
As for the Microsoft wearable device you can buy today, the company is working on Band version 2, which is scheduled to be coming sometime later this year.
It is currently unknown what Microsoft’s plans are for the smartwatch. Would you have been interested in Microsoft Moonraker? The images have since been removed from Tumblr.
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