Wimm Labs
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
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Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Wimm Labs was a Silicon Valley smartwatch startup founded around 2008. It released the WIMM One, an Android-powered smartwatch aimed at developers, with its own micro-app store (calculator, compass, photo gallery, phone remote) and a developer program for third-party 'micro apps' that could sync with phones or run independently. It was not a failure: Google secretly acquired it in the summer of 2012 to bolster its wearable plans, retaining some of Wimm's staff into the Android team; the deal was confirmed in August 2013.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
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03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Founded
Wimm Labs is founded, building an Android app platform for wristwatches and wearable displays.
- WIMM One
The company releases the developer-centric WIMM One Android smartwatch, with its own micro-app store.
- Acquired by Google
In the summer of 2012, Wimm Labs enters an exclusive confidential relationship with Google - later confirmed as an acquisition - and ceases sales of the Developer Preview Kit. The deal is publicly confirmed in August 2013.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
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Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
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