Expect two Google smartwatches in Q1 2017

Expect two Google smartwatches in the first few months of 2017.

VentureBeat reporter Evan Blass last week tweeted that two Google smartwatches could be available early next year. 

The Verge noted that Google smartwatches are expected to run Android Wear 2.0 and be designed around Google's AI assistant.

Also, the new Google smartwatches, originally called "Swordfish" and "Angelfish," may present both opportunities and challenges for mobile developers.

Market research firm Allied Market Research has predicted the smartwatch market could expand at a 67.6 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and be worth $32.9 billion globally by 2020. This indicates the smartwatch market is likely to grow, and mobile developers who can create smartwatch apps could be in high demand over the next few years.

On the other hand, wearable app developers "rely heavily on cloud platforms," according to cloud brokerage and marketplace platform provider ComputeNext. Thus, finding the right cloud platform to store, process and analyze smartwatch app data could challenge mobile developers who want to enter the smartwatch market. 

It remains to be seen whether the Google smartwatches will keep the names Swordfish and Angelfish when they are released.

The release schedule has created a dilemma for developers eager to cut their teeth with the latest smartwatch.

Meanwhile, some developers will wait out the smartwatch market as they search for smartwatches that offer the same level of control as a smartphone.

Although many developers remain confident in iOS, which has been the major smartwatch player so far, Google's move into the smartwatch market may lead some developers to reconsider Android as well.