Why is Casio launching a smartwatch now Asking President Kazuhiro Kashio: Kei Ogikubo hits directly (1/2 page)

　In May 2015, during the president change interview held by Casio Computer Co., Ltd., he suddenly said, "We are developing a wrist device." At that time, he only said that the announcement would be at CES in January 2016, but it attracted a lot of attention as a declaration of entry into the fiercely competitive smartwatch market.

　The following June, before the anniversary of the time, a special exhibition of successive generations of multi-functional watches was held at the "Toshio Kashio Memorial Museum of Invention". There was a "glimpse" that another new division was developing a completely new product.

　This is Casio's first smart watch "Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10", which will be released on March 25th.

What kind of product is the WSD-F10 for Casio? And I interviewed Kazuhiro Kashio, president of Casio Computer Co., Ltd. about how it was developed and what it was aiming for.

　There may be people who wonder why he is the president of the smart watch industry, and that there must be more direct developers, but President Kazuhiro Kashio, until he was appointed president in June 2015,・He has been watching the development of the WSD-F10 for a long time as General Manager of the System Business Headquarters, and before that as General Manager of the New Business Development Headquarters.

　With the WSD-F10 as a gateway, I would like to take a closer look at the future developments.

The WSD-F10 is a "must-have product for Casio"

Kei Ogikubo (hereafter Ogikubo) Before being appointed president, Casio's first smart watch "Smart Outdoor Watch", which will be released soon WSD-F10", I heard that you have been watching for a long time as the head of the department, so I would like to start with your story.

Kazuhiro Kashio (hereafter, Mr. Kashio) was appointed president in June 2015, but immediately before that he was general manager of the Consumer Systems Business Headquarters. I was in charge of three departments: the Consumer Business Department, the System Business Department, and the New Business Development Department. It feels like I was looking at all the departments other than watches and cameras.

　There is a story that the new business development department has developed a smart watch.

Ogikubo So the development of the smartwatch was launched in a separate department from the timepiece department that has a proven track record. What is the reason?

Mr. Kashio Originally Casio is a digital watch company, so we have created various products in the form of "wrist technology". And we see smartwatches as the ultimate digital watch, the ultimate in wrist technology. Other companies have released such products, but as a digital Casio, we weren't able to produce products in the field that we should be doing.

　However, the watch division is making products for the "watch market". We have several lineups, including G-SHOCK, a market that we launched from scratch, fashion watches, and multi-functional watches like PRO TREK, but all of them are in the broad sense of the "watch market." Shin. Because Casio is focused on that market, it was unable to produce a digital watch that Casio should have produced.

　As you can see from the products of other companies, the reality is that smartwatches, including Apple, are not made by clock makers, but by information device makers.

　There aren't many manufacturers that do both clocks and information equipment properly, so I knew we had to do it. However, the reason we were unable to achieve this was because the know-how of the watch division alone was not enough. After all, it was necessary to integrate with the information equipment division.

Ogikubo 　Are you saying that Casio, as a watch manufacturer rather than an information equipment manufacturer, was not suited to develop a smartwatch?

Mr. Kashio So, apart from the watch department, we were finally able to combine the information equipment team and the watch team to create a new business separate from watches.

Ogikubo: How long does the actual development take?

Mr. Kashio Including redoing, it took about 4-5 years. While trying various methods, there are many types when it comes to the prototype level.

Why did the WSD-F10 become an outdoor smartwatch?

Ogikubo: Among them, the first smartwatch was targeted for "outdoor use".

Mr. Kashio: At first, I was thinking of something for everyday use, but then it would be buried among other smartwatches. Of course, I want to make such a smartwatch, but at Casio, I want to make something that has never existed before, and I want new people to use it, so if I can't do that, I will do it It doesn't make sense.

　There was also a point where it was useless to make something that was taken for granted. If we can't make the usual things, we can't make new ones, so it's not necessary, but Casio Computer is essentially a company of "creation and contribution."

　Create new needs that did not exist in the world, get them to use it in new ways, and acquire new users. That is "creation".

　When a new proposal is made available to the world and used by many people, it becomes a "contribution", and together with the market that has been created, it is nurtured. That is the world we are aiming for.

Ogikubo: So that was just the outdoors?

Mr. Kashio Existing smartwatches are not really necessary. We thought that if we were to create a smartwatch that would really be used, it would have to create a new market. Existing smartwatches use smartphone apps as companion devices for smartphones. But I usually have a smartphone, so I only need it when I can't take out my smartphone and look at it.

Ogikubo: It's true that today's smartwatches aren't used by everyone. There is an impression that it remains for some people who like gadgets.

Mr. Kashio In the outdoors, there are many outdoor apps for smartphones, but it is not easy to look at your smartphone while walking or running. Once I stopped my actions, I stopped and looked at my smartphone. There was no smartwatch suitable for outdoor activities, despite the need to be able to see and learn with one's arm.

Casio has G-SHOCK technology, so it is really comfortable to wear, and you can make a watch that can be used both everyday and outdoors.

　Therefore, the idea that a smartwatch should be made and Casio's uniqueness to create new applications meshed well.

Ogikubo: Come to think of it, the recently released "Outdoor Recorder EX-FR100" is also an outdoor-oriented camera.

Mr. Kashio 　Everyone says the FR100 is interesting, but it is still waterproof, shockproof, and has functions that can be used outdoors, so I think we should make more in-depth proposals. I would like to strengthen it by keeping in mind that it is good to have it used in this kind of place and in this kind of scene.

　In the case of smart watches, we offer in-depth suggestions for trekking, swimming, and cycling.

　I think that "general-purpose machines" no longer exist. Each customer has a different way of using it, so we have to provide products that suit them.

　Wristwatches are a good example, but Casio has a structure in which a general-purpose model can be established only with the G-SHOCK. Without it, if you compete with just a general-purpose watch from the beginning, it will become a price competition. It is no longer our territory.

　In terms of digital cameras, the recent TR series ("EX-TR100" was a big hit as a "selfie camera" in Asia). Sales have ended in Japan, but it is extremely popular in Asia. The ZR series is also popular because it is a product of Casio, which made the TR, and the FR is also popular in Taiwan. That's because it's a Casio product that made the TR.

　In the case of Japan, whether or not FR can create new proposals and culture is an issue for the future. Just saying that the camera and the main unit are separate types doesn't quite convey it. The FR100 is also a specialized camera, so we would like to make proposals that include more peripherals and make it a camera that people want to carry around.

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