“Fitbit Inc. introduced a new smartwatch on Tuesday, challenging Apple Inc. with stronger battery life than the Apple Watch, but investors were not impressed,” Jeremy C. Owens reports for MarketWatch.
“At the opening news conference at CES Press Day in Las Vegas, the wearable-technology company showed off its first full-color smartwatch, the Blaze, which Fitbit said lasts five days and nights on a single charge,” Owens reports. “The product costs $199 and is available for preorder now, with a global retail launch planned for March.”
“Fitbit stock suffered after the announcement, falling to its lowest prices since the San Francisco company’s June 2015 initial public offering. Shares dropped more than 13% Tuesday, touching a new low of $25.52,” Owens reports. “Chief Business Officer Edward Scal took time to draw out differences between the Blaze and Apple’s smartwatch, which the tech giant launched last year with similar band options but more functionality. ‘Its not about all the extras or putting everything from your phone on your wrist,’ Scal said, later adding, ‘What you need to maximize your workouts is a tool, not a toy.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Only a dying company staffed by abject morons would produce a weak knockoff of product they supposedly think is a “toy.”
A bit of advice for Fitbit: Concentrate on cheap (under $100) fitness bands until you’re bought or you fold, whichever comes first.
SEE ALSO:
It’s official: The Apple Watch is destroying the so-called competition – November 20, 2015
As Apple Watch sales ramp, Swiss watch makers suffer biggest slump in six years – November 19, 2015
Apple Watch models take top four spots on 10 most-wanted smartwatches list – November 18, 2015
Apple Watch is 2016’s hottest holiday gift – November 18, 2015
Apple has already sold more than $1.7 billion worth of Apple Watches – October 29, 2015
Strategy Analytics: Apple Watch sells 4.5 million units in Q315, takes 74% global smartwatch market share – October 28, 2015
Apple Watch users are abandoning traditional watches – September 15, 2015
Over 1 million Apple Watches already sold in China – September 3, 2015
Apple Watch already dominates smart-wearables market, says IDC – August 28, 2015
IDC estimates Apple sold 3.6 million Apple Watch units in Q2 – August 27, 2015
Best Buy CEO: Apple Watch demand is ‘so strong’ that we’re expanding sales to all 1,050 stores – August 25, 2015
Swiss watch exports decline most since 2009 – August 20, 2015
Apple Watch takes 88% of total smartwatch revenue – August 14, 2015
Apple Watch kills a entire industry in three months – August 12, 2015
U.S. wristwatch sales post biggest drop in seven years after Apple Watch debut – August 7, 2015
Apple Watch dominates smartwatches with 75% market share – July 28, 2015
Juniper Research: Apple is world’s #1 smartwatch maker – July 23, 2015
Canalys: Apple ships 4.2 million Apple Watches in Q2 to become world’s top wearables vendor – July 21, 2015
Apple Watch satisfaction is unprecedented at 97%; beats original iPhone and iPad – July 20, 2015
Non-techies love their Apple Watches even more than tech users – July 20, 2015
Apple Watch is Apple’s most successful product debut ever – June 1, 2015
Sour grapes.
“it wont set you back thousands”
No, it will set you back only a bit less than an Apple watch and has no capabilities other than fitness tracking. Anyone that would spend $200 on this POS from Fitbit instead of an Apple Watch is a moron. I assume you will be buying one.
Thank you Stevie Wonder
Right product name, as they go out in a “Blaze” of glory, or go down with all guns “Blazing”!
“iPad is a toy, buy a playbook!”
how is Blackberry doing?
What a shit looking product. Squared off corners are so 90s, 80’s or maybe even 70s.
Notice the tiny disguised screen, it’s like something out of ToysRus. Shame as their fitness trackers are rather nicely designed, a watch based on that look might have had a chance.
There is a market for health and fitness “sensor bands” but not at $200. At that price, I would just stretch and buy an Apple Watch Sport.
That said, battery life is a real issue. Apple needs to get Watch to at least 48+ hours. There also needs to be a way to fast charge it.
While I will agree that more battery is always better, I don’t have a problem with my Apple Watch. The battery easily lasts 24 hours, and I can charge it for an hour in the morning, and it’s good to go.
The battery question is overblown. When I wore a regular watch I never wore it to bed and now that I wear an Apple Watch I don’t wear it to bed. So it charges overnight. And while I am sleeping I stay in bed and my watch stays on the nightstand so we are not far apart. The way fitbit was able to get so much battery life was to have it do nothing more then a regular fitbit. But if that’s all there is, than why do you want it. I will take functionality at the expense of battery any day. I can’t tell time while sleeping anyway.
I find the best way to extend battery life is to use Airplane mode whenever you don’t need communication with the iPhone. I also use times in the day when I don’t need to have the WATCH on my wrist, to top off the charge in only an hour or less from 50% or more back up to 100%. Typically wear my WATCH while I’m sleeping.
You don’t get to be a big profitable company by doing knockoffs. Ask Samsung.
Look far into the future an produce that product next year.
And the investors have figured that out, thus the flight from the stock. They took one look at the watch and said “Oh God, they’re chasing Apple. We know what happens to every company that chases Apple.”
——RM
Go peddle your toys somewhere else Fitbit! Apple has sold more watches in its first two quarters than all other manufacturers of smart watches combined.
wow, the screen is smaller than the original Pebble.
Comes with a microscope accessory apparently.
It’s rather strange how companies are always calling Apple products “toys” especially when those companies are putting out very similar products. I suppose any unnecessary gadget can be considered a toy but something being called a toy doesn’t necessarily have a negative meaning. The term “toy” has very positive meanings for both children and adults. This dude should look up the definition of the word toy. If he did, he would see that that he could be highly praising Apple’s products. I really don’t see what good is it going to do these companies to bash Apple products when they’re both in the same business?
I find the “toy” comment rather strange considering the Apple watch does so much more than the Fitbit. If the Apple Watch is a toy, what does that make their product?
It’s a useful “tool” because it – uhhh – does less. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
I could definitely see a place for existing fitbits and similar devices, but this just looks like garbage.
This will be like my polar watch and Fitbit, gathering dust in my drawer. I wouldn’t even consider looking at this now, it has battery life, whoop dee doo… No GPS, no apps, no …., no…., no…… I charge my phone overnight, we’re conditioned to do that, so battery is not a concern which he brings up, 5 years ago maybe, but in today’s world, single use is dumb ( that’s why I don’t use the Fitbit anymore), this is inferior in functions, looks like they picked a shape to be different because square and round have been used by pebble, Apple and android. It looks like a toy watch my kids get with their sponge bob square pants toy set.
Looks like something from the retro 70’s. In other words it’s a POS. Haha
Toy calls Tool Toy.😜⌚️😱