Just a few months after confirming it was making a proper smartwatch, it looks like fitness tracker giant Fitbit will debut its latest wearable later this year, alongside another device designed for folks on the go.
Fitbit's new smartwatch is expected this fall, in addition to a set of Bluetooth earbuds similar in design to the Beats X, according to sources speaking to Yahoo Finance. The wireless buds are intended to be worn over the neck and will come in two colors, “Nightfall Blue” and “Lunar Gray.”
The sources say Fitbit's upcoming smartwatch hosts a full color screen with 1,000 nits of brightness, an aluminum body, built-in GPS, and interchangeable bands. The smartwatch will also allow mobile payment, music playback through Pandora, and, of course, heart-rate monitoring.
However, it appears that Fitbit's development of its fuller-functioned wearable has been troubled, with the report mentioning that multiple revisions ultimately kept the smartwatch from hitting a planned spring release window.
FitBotched?
In addition to adjustments to the design in order to receive a clearer GPS signal, one of the major goals of these reported revisions was making the Fitbit smartwatch waterproof.
It's still unclear at this point if the final version, which is expected to retail for $300 (about £240, AU$400), will be protected from water — a major missed opportunity if that's not the case, given competition from the waterproof Apple Watch 2 and the fact Fitbit made its name making wearables for active lifestyles.
The aesthetics of the Fitbit smartwatch also seem in jeopardy, with sources telling Yahoo Finance that the proposed final product looks "very retro-looking" and "definitely not sexy,” with a resemblance to Fitbit's Blaze tracker.
This past year has also been turbulent for Fitbit, following purchases of multiple wearable tech firms like Pebble and Coin alongside dropping sales and recent staff cuts. Though Fitbit has proven itself so far, we can't help but feel a lot is riding on the company's first dive into smartwatch territory.
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