Fitbit’s CEO James Park isn’t letting the rumor mill alone drive up hype for the company’s new smartwatch.
In a recent interview with Financial Times, he’s attempting to stir excitement himself by offering a deeper glimpse into what’s being referred to Fitbit’s “make-or-break” device.
The Fitbit smartwatch will be waterproof, feature accurate GPS tracking and introduce new biometric sensors, likely moving beyond the expected heart rate sensor and accelerometers, though the specific hardware wasn’t specified.
Lastly, Fitbit is said to be in talks to loop in native support for music streaming services like Spotify and Pandora to suit those who want to jam while working out.
What's the Fitbit smartwatch isn't
Delayed - So far, the picture painted of the upcoming Fitbit smartwatch is that it’s development is constantly in a state of flux, delayed further and further from its projected launch. However, Park has gone on the record to say that the device is “on track”, both in terms of when it’s supposed to arrive later this year and how it’s shaping up to deliver what he thinks the wearable audience will cling to.
An Apple Watch competitor - Rather than gunning to compete with the best smartwatches available, Fitbit is narrowing its focus to tracking your health for longer with a battery that reportedly can last for several days in between charges. Additionally, it will take advantage of its Pebble acquisition, opening the floodgates for developers to create unique applications for the new smartwatch.
An LTE-connected device - The recent trend feature seen popping up in 2017 smartwatches is LTE cellular service, though Fitbit’s head chief sees this requiring too much sacrifice for the form factor, going further to say that it’s “struggling for a use case” that would make it worthy of inclusion in the upcoming smartwatch.
A few months ago, we had our first look at what could be the final design of the Fitbit smartwatch, though it’s possible that it’s changed since that leak. If this device really is on track to launch later this year, we should see an official announcement taking place sooner than later.
