Google will forestall Fitbit from making smartwatches

Closing week, I posted my evaluation of the Fitbit Sense 2, the most recent flagship smartwatch from Fitbit. I’ve written earlier than about how excited I used to be for this watch since I’ve been dressed in the unique Sense for the previous two years. You’ll be able to believe my sadness when I discovered it to be not anything like what I anticipated.

For the Sense 2, Fitbit took away a large number of integral options we noticed with the primary Sense. There’s no Google Assistant reinforce, no third-party apps, and no Wi-Fi reinforce. That ultimate one is especially attention-grabbing for the reason that Sense 2 comprises the {hardware} wanted for Wi-Fi connectivity. Fitbit simply gained’t transfer it on.

As I used to be reviewing the Sense 2, I couldn’t assist however really feel the looming specter of Google. The Large G purchased Fitbit in 2019 and formally closed the deal in 2021. That makes the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 the first actual Fitbit smartwatches to release underneath Google’s watchful eye.

With that during thoughts, it’s tough to not surmise that the rationale the Sense 2 is this type of vulnerable smartwatch is that Google pressured Fitbit’s hand. And it almost certainly all comes right down to the Pixel Watch.

When Google officially printed the Pixel Watch at Google I/O 2022, it showed that it will function Fitbit come what may. Over the last few months, we’ve come to take into account that Fitbit’s health-tracking options are deeply built-in with the watch. Necessarily, Google is in keep watch over of the sensible options whilst Fitbit handles the fitness stuff.

This makes the Pixel Watch, necessarily, a Fitbit-powered smartwatch. Now that Google has keep watch over of Fitbit, the very last thing it will need could be for Fitbit to outshine the Pixel Watch with its personal top rate wearable. This mindset almost certainly led to Google stepping in and forcing Fitbit to dock the options of the Sense 2 and Versa 4 in order that they couldn’t immediately compete with the Pixel Watch.

That’s the in all probability explanation why the Sense 2 lacks Google Assistant, third-party apps, and Wi-Fi — the 3 options that may assist in making it a viable competitor to the Pixel Watch. The primary Sense proves that Fitbit watches are greater than able to having those options, so what different explanation why may just there be for his or her removing rather then Google now not in need of to compete with itself?

I don’t need to dive too deep into this since we haven’t noticed the Pixel Watch but, but it surely surely makes me query Google’s self belief in its personal watch. If the corporate was once actually assured in regards to the worth proposition of the Pixel Watch, it wouldn’t wish to inform Fitbit to dock the Sense 2. In different phrases, as a substitute of innovating and making its personal watch higher, Google is just artificially reducing the bar set via Fitbit. That’s lovely lame and doesn’t bode neatly for the Pixel Watch.

It additionally significantly adjustments the way forward for Fitbit.

The Fitbit Sense 2 could be missing a number of smartwatch options, but it surely isn’t missing within the health-tracking division. It has the entire powerful sensors of the unique Sense or even introduces a brand new function in steady electrodermal job (cEDA) sensing, one thing that doesn’t seem on every other main wearable — together with the Apple Watch. In different phrases, Google will have docked an entire bunch of smartwatch advantages from the Sense 2, but it surely doesn’t appear to be threatened via its health-focused options.

This can be a giant trace of items to come back. I surmise that Google goes to push Fitbit additional and additional clear of smartwatches altogether. Probably the most possible overarching plan could be for Google to carry the smartwatch marketplace and Fitbit to carry the health-tracking marketplace. This is able to power Fitbit to simply liberate health trackers.

Granted, this wouldn’t forestall Fitbit from liberating a Sense 3. It’s simply that this hypothetical Sense 3 would have fewer causes to exist and could be even much less like a smartwatch than the Sense 2. To stay issues easy, Google would need customers who need any semblance of a smartwatch enjoy to visit the Pixel Watch, whilst individuals who handiest care about fitness may just keep on with Fitbit. This makes best sense to me from a industry and advertising and marketing point of view, and the Encourage and Fee strains have upper odds of surviving than the Versa or Sense.

On the other hand, as a Fitbit fan who noticed implausible promise with what the Sense 2 will have been, I will’t assist however be profoundly disillusioned. Fitbit will have introduced a powerhouse: a Google Assistant-powered smartwatch with third-party apps, each and every health-tracking function you’ll believe, and a battery existence that lasts every week — involved in underneath $300. As soon as once more, the unique Fitbit Sense proves that Fitbit may just have completed this. However now, we gained’t see it, now not as a result of Fitbit wasn’t able to handing over however as a result of Google reputedly mentioned “no.”