Fitbit on the subject of Tuesday unveiled its college fitness watch, aiming to profit into the growing smartwatch segment subsequently upgraded fitness tracking features.
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| FitBit Blaze |
But the companys share price plunged along in the middle of disappointment difficult than its prospects for keeping pace when rivals taking into account Apple Watch.
The company, which leads the wearable tech reveal gone its wrist-worn trackers but is mammal challenged by the rise of smartwatches from Apple and others, said its $199 Fitbit Blaze watch was available for pre-order and would organization retail stores globally in the coming months.
Speaking at an unveiling ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Fitbit chief presidency and co-founder James Park said the late buildup device strikes a report amid fitness and style.
The Blaze contains a module that can be connected once smartphones processing Apple, Android or Windows systems and removed to snap into swing bands for workouts, the office or nights upon the town, Park said.
It will moreover divulge for notifications of calls, text and calendar alerts, and can control music playing from a phone. It also features a high-utter color display and a battery that can last occurring to five days.
It puts fitness first and has the right set of features that dont extinguish the fanatic, he told the news conference.
Fitbit led the global ventilate for wearable tech devices in the third quarter taking into consideration a 22.2 percent have enough maintenance allocation and unit sales of 4.7 million, according to research conclusive IDC.
But many analysts expect Apple to receive the lead in the sector once its subsidiary smartwatch that connects to iPhones and moreover has fitness-tracking features.
Not sufficient
Fitbit shares plunged 18 percent upon apparent disappointment the company fell hasty in its strategy of countering Apple and appendage rivals. Also weighing upon Fitbit was a launch by Under Armour of a suite of linked fitness devices.
Sterne Agee analyst Rob Cihra said the subsidiary watch is not likely sufficient to boost Fitbit against its rivals.
The analyst said in a research note the appendage smartwatch appears to be a in style (Fitbit) Charge fitness band which offers a much smaller fraction of the functionality (of rivals), as a not-in view of that-researcher watch subsequently than limited apps platform work.
We see the company still needing to prove it can manufacture out a sustainable software and services platform that goes highly developed than clearly selling devices, the analyst said.
IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said Fitbit shares may have been unfairly punished by the news.
Llamas told AFP that it appears that a modular smartwatch does not appeal to a lot of people but that Fitbit yet has the opportunity to embellish its offerings and exacerbate its large adherent base.
I think (Blaze) is unfairly being compared to Apple Watch, he said. But there are yet a lot of oars in the ocean to tug Fitbit dispatch.
Under Armour meanwhile announced its Connected Fitness product portfolio which may grab assign part from Fitbit.
The Baltimore-based organization announced its UA Band expected to be worn every one-day, completely daylight to track daily exchange, workouts and snooze, a compact heart rate monitor which can work workout elevation above sea level and a compound scale that enables weight and body fat percentage readings.
For 20 years, Under Armour has tainted the habit athletes dress and now we will fine-atmosphere the quirk athletes alive, said Kevin Plank, founder and CEO, in a notice.
We are taking linked Fitness to choice level. With the HealthBox suite of products alive thing introduced, athletes will be empowered as well as the plan to make better decisions and ultimately enrich their lives in a habit thats never been finished to the front.
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