SmartWatch

Fitbit's push into smartwatches pays off: sold-out Versa launch buoys wearable company in Q2

By Dave Muoio August 2, 2018

It was a bit of a bumpy start, but it’s beginning to look like Fitbit’s push into the smartwatch market is beginning to bear fruit. While the company is still operating at a loss, yesterday’s Q2 earnings report revealed that the Fitbit’s downward revenue and device sales trend was lessened by the success of its Versa smartwatch, which the company said has outsold all Samsung, Garmin, and Fossil’s...

IDC: Smartwatches will make up 1/3 of the wearables market in 2018

By Jonah Comstock March 20, 2018

Smartwatch popularity continues to be on the rise, but traditional fitness trackers aren't going anywhere either, according to new market research from International Data Corporation (IDC). The entire worldwide wearables market is on track for 15.1 percent growth this year, for a total of 132.9 million units shipped. Of that, smartwatches represent about one-third of the shipment volume, but two-...

IDC report: Apple back on top of wearables market

By Jonah Comstock March 15, 2018

Apple has risen to the top of the competitive global wearables market, according to an IDC report that came out at the beginning of this month. Meanwhile the overall growth of the space has slowed as control of the market consolidates among big players. "Interest in smartwatches continues to grow and Apple is well-positioned to capture demand," Ramone T. Llamas, research director of IDC's...

To entice Pebble users to Ionic, Fitbit offers six more months of support, $50 discount

By Jonah Comstock January 25, 2018

When Fitbit acquired indie smartwatch maker Pebble at the end of 2016, it was clear from the beginning that it would be the end of the line for Pebble devices. In fact, Fitibit didn't even acquire Pebble's hardware assets. A year later, Fitbit seems determined to let Pebble's fiercely loyal userbase down easy — and to convert as many of them as possible into users of the company's fledgling...

Fitbit unveils new products, including Ionic, its first-ever smartwatch

By Jeff Lagasse August 28, 2017

Wearables brand Fitbit is introducing a new slate of tools and technologies focused on health and wellness, including a new smartwatch, a smart scale, fitness-centric headphones and a premium guidance and coaching offering. The Fitbit Ionic represents the company’s first foray into smartwatches, and features a new relative SpO2 sensor, making it possible to track certain health insights like...

Samsung's upcoming Gear Fit2 Pro may add additional health features

By Jeff Lagasse August 15, 2017

Rumors have been kicking around regarding technology giant Samsung’s new Gear Fit2 Pro, but those rumors have taken on concrete form with a leak from Venture Beat revealing a design that builds on its predecessor, the Gear Fit2. The wearable fitness tracker -- which could be unveiled as soon as next month -- takes much of its physical design from the Gear Fit2, including what will likely be a...

Verily introduces health-tracking Study Watch for use in clinical research

By Heather Mack April 17, 2017

Verily has debuted a new health-tracking wearable designed for use in a series of observational and longitudinal studies. With the aptly dubbed Study Watch – which is not available for consumer purchase – the Alphabet subsidiary formerly known as Google Life Sciences aims to push new boundaries in the size, scope and sophistication of wearable data-gathering. Featuring numerous physiological and...

Parks: Fitness still the leading use case for smartwatches

By Jonah Comstock March 28, 2017

Despite all the convenience features of modern smartwatches, for users it’s still all about fitness, according to recently released data from Parks Associates. The research firm says that tracking steps is the most popular smartwatch use case, with 60 percent of the United States’ 13.3 million smartwatch users reporting that they track their steps with their device. According to Senior Director...

Fitbit acquires software assets of Vector Watch, another smartwatch company

By Jonah Comstock January 10, 2017

Following on its acquisition of Pebble, and the company's announcement just this week that it would be developing an app store, Fitbit has announced another smartwatch acquisition: Vector, a year-old Romanian startup that boasts a smartwatch with a 30-day battery life. The terms of the acquisition are so far undisclosed. "Fitbit can confirm it has acquired specific assets from Vector Watch, a...

Are wearables on the decline or poised for a comeback?

By Jonah Comstock December 5, 2016

It's been a rough couple of weeks for wearables. Yesterday, Lenovo announced it was abandoning its Moto Androidwear line indefinitely, with head of global product development Shakil Barkat saying "wearables do not have broad enough appeal for us to continue to build on it year after year,” according to The Verge. Last week it came out that Pebble, which arguably invented the smartwatch space, is...