Fitbit, as we know it, is dead

Read to the end for Vision Pro verdicts and how Garmin is taking aim at Apple

When Google’s deal to buy Fitbit was finally given the go-ahead in 2021, the company’s ever-present VP Rick Osterloh said the acquisition was “about devices, not data”.

Three years on, with plenty of new Fitbit smartwatches and trackers in tow and integration with the Pixel Watch maturing, it’s hard to argue Google hasn’t stayed true to the core of that message. It’s certainly proved a less tangled onboarding than what we saw in the early Nest years. 

But there’s no question that Fitbit - at least the one we knew - is dead.

And when Fitbit co-founders Eric Friedman and James Park left the company last month - the latter of whom had, at least from the outside, remained a key part of the integration in the Pixel Watch - the hope of a resurgent Fitbit 2.0 left, too.

We’ve often wondered whether the soul still existed at Fitbit for it to again become a major force in the space, only this time with the might of Google behind it.

With Park and Friedman’s departure, it’s clear those days are over.

Fitbit is done as a driving force in the wearables market. And there’s little evidence that Google will take up that mantle.

And it’s been quite the fall from grace. Complaints are currently rife on Fitbit’s forum relating to bricked Charge 5 models. Last week, Google denied this issue is related to an update. Yet, over six months on from initial concerns surfacing, the problem appears to be getting worse - and replacement devices seemingly aren’t being offered to users, either.

Then there’s the Fitbit Charge 6, a device that repeated the fatal flaw present in its predecessor - wearing it tight enough to gain a heart rate reading sees GPS tracking fail, while wearing it loose results in GPS connecting at the expense of heart rate monitoring. 

Fitbit’s smartwatches haven’t escaped unscathed under Google’s reign, either.

Nixed app support saw the Versa 4 arrive as a watered-down entry compared to the previous generation, and Google later doubled down by nerfing music support on all generations of Versa and Sense smartwatches.

None of it inspires confidence in future products - and it’s become especially jarring when the price of Fitbit trackers is far loftier than equivalent options from Xiaomi, Huawei, and others that have been steadily gaining influence over the last half-decade.

The ace Fitbit has always held to counter any device issues is the superb companion app experience. However, having an easy-to-use app filled with insights is no longer the trump card it once was.

Fitbit also remains one of the very few that make you pay for full access, and Google, again, has insisted on removing long-standing features like Adventures, Challenges, and Open Groups. 

So, what does the future hold for Fitbit? Right now, it seems uncertain.

Despite Google’s form for rash decisions with its brands, I don’t see Fitbit being axed totally. Presumably, Google would use it for basic trackers, such as the Inspire – one that is still an excellent entry-level device.

But the idea that Fitbit could be the all-encompassing fitness experience behind Wear OS watches now also seems far-fetched. Samsung would be unlikely to choose Fitbit over Samsung Health, which it has invested in heavily. And with Fossil out of the game, where else would it gain influence? Mobvoi? Xiaomi? Unlikely.

So, all in all, Rick Osterloh was right - the Fitbit acquisition was about devices. Just not about ones with a Fitbit logo on them.

Wearable news round-up

Apple Vision Pro reviews have landed

We’ve had countless memes, we’ve had superfans being clapped out of the Apple store, and, of course, we’ve had Casey Neistat riding a Boosted Board through New York City with one strapped to his face.

Now, the Vision Pro reviews have landed. Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t quite got around to launching the headset in the UK just yet, which means we’ve yet to get our hands on the 'spatial computer’.

But the consensus seems to be consistent: Vision Pro represents by far the biggest leap forward we’ve ever seen for the MR/VR category, but it’s also not a product without compromises.

WSJ’s Joanna Stern, who you may have seen skiing and cooking in Vision Pro, said:

"The Vision Pro has every characteristic of a first-generation product. It's heavy, its battery life sucks, there aren't that many great apps yet, and sometimes, it's buggy."

CNET’s Scott Stein echoed this, noting in their review:

“There are glitches, and sometimes the controls feel too floaty, but in its first form, I'm shocked at how good it already is… That said, it's clearly not a device you need to get on board with now.”

Meanwhile, The Verge’s Nilay Patel zoomed out to discuss the Vision Pro’s place in the wider landscape.

“[Perhaps Apple knows] the technology to build the true AR glasses it has long hinted at is simply not there — so the Vision Pro represents something like a simulator or a developer kit. A dream factory for people to build apps and meaningful use cases for the imagined hardware yet to come: true optical AR glasses that let you share digital experiences with other people.”

Our main takeaway so far is that Vision Pro appears to be a very isolated, unsocial experience. Still, perhaps we’ll change our tune once we start making FaceTime calls with our Vision Pro ‘Persona’, the ungodly 3D models of your face that make you look like an NPC from GTA IV.

Oura will now monitor sensitivity to stress

Oura continues to go big on stress tracking. After launching the Daytime Stress feature last year, we now have an additional insight: Resilience.

Like with Daytime Stress, there are no scores here. Instead, five gradings - Limited, Adequate, Solid, Strong, or Exceptional - are used to summarise your body's physiological response to stress.

Insights and suggestions are also present in the app to help Oura Ring users increase their resilience, with the trend graph showing how this fluctuates throughout the week and a map showing how a response is influenced by recovery.

We’ll be chatting with Oura to get an in-depth idea of how to get the most out of Resilience, so stay tuned for that later this week.

Samsung accidentally leaks next wearable

Is it a Galaxy Ring? Is it a Galaxy Watch?

No, it’s the Galaxy Fit 3.

In a Samsung Gulf site listing (shown above) that's now been removed, the company appears to have accidentally confirmed its next fitness tracker a bit early.

The images match the major Fit 3 leak from November that first showed off renders of the design, and it all points to an imminent official launch.

Such a move that would mark a revival of the line and the first launch since the Galaxy Fit 2 arrived in 2020 - though, of course, it’s also very possible it doesn’t arrive until much later this year.

Garmin appears to take shots at Apple SpO2 woe

When Apple isn’t launching headsets from the future, it’s being taken to court by health startup Masimo over blood oxygen sensor technology.

And while we already know Tim Cook and Apple are focused on fighting the ban on its SpO2 feature, Garmin appears to have twisted the knife in the meantime.

Over on X, Facebook, and Instagram over the past week, there’s been a very concerted effort to plug its own Pulse Ox feature.

Garmin has a bit of form for this, you might remember. When Apple launched the Ultra back in 2022 and talked up the multi-day battery life, the company was quick to point out the Enduro 2’s credentials.

Very petty stuff, really, and we’re all for it.