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Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

reuters.com

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Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#111

Post by dblock »

gamblor956 wrote: post #44
aluminussoma wrote: post #38

I would think that Google's first choice was Garmin. In my personal opinion, they have better watch products. It was reported last month that Fitbit engaged Qatalyst for a sale. I wonder who leaked the news to Reuters, which did not mention a price: was it Qatalyst, hoping to start a bidding war?

Probably, but it's unlikely that Garmin would sell to Google.

For runners Garmin is far more reliable and superior in every way. Fitbit is cheap. I think google wants data from more people, and Fitbit is a distressed asset, so good opportunity.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#112

Post by drcode »

kkarakk wrote: post #49
drcode wrote: post #15

I'd still love to hear a convincing argument from someone as to the benefits of counting steps and measuring heart rate with a wrist band- Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them? Do they feel healthier because they were regularly watching their heart rate reading during their hour in the gym…

most people don't exercise effectively and are too lazy to get a trainer so a workout watch is a good way to know that they didn't really work out as hard as they thought they did. it's a nice way of tracking your fitness level coz that stuff goes by the wayside in your prime working age 20-50. if you're a fitness enthusiast then yeah you're definitely monitoring heart rates already with a more expensive watch(more a…

> most people don't exercise effectively and are too lazy to get a trainer so a workout watch is a good way to know that they didn't really work out as hard as they thought they did.

OK, out of all the responses to my question on here, this is actually the only one that sounds like a decent argument to me.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#113

Post by CydeWeys »

aries1980 wrote: post #98
not2b wrote: post #91

Very bad news for anyone who has a Fitbit device. Google tends to destroy any "smart" devices they acquire; first they tie it more closely to their ecosystem, too much for comfort, then they remove features, then they get bored and neglect it, then you have a brick.

There is not much "feature" in a Fitbit. You can't even correct simple numeric values of an exercise, such as the ran distance or the bodyfat percentage of the scale reading.

I have a Garmin fitness watch, and I mainly use it to tell the time, daily step count, and the distance/pace/heart rate/duration during runs and bike rides. I do sync the resultant recorded activities to Strava but frankly that's not very important to me.

And this is enough to justify the device for me. It only cost $150 or so, lasts much longer than a year, and earns its keep in useful functionality.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#114

Post by Pxtl »

fyfy18 wrote: post #105
cascom wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% so annoying - going to have to throw out my fitbit stuff if this goes through

And this is exactly why any consumer device that relies on the cloud is a bad idea. I would never buy a Ring doorbell or Nest camera for the same reason - I'd always look for a version that can be used locally so I can host the software myself and don't need to depend on a third party that may go bust, or get aquihired and shutdown.

Especially one that I'd have to install into a wall. I mean, I was always thinking that the whole "IOT lightbulbs" were at the wrong spot - that an IOT lightswitch would make more sense - you get all the lights on that circuit in one go, and you don't have the "is the light off because it's set off or is the switch off" thing.

But IOT device lifespan is way too short to be installed into a wall, even something as easy to DIY as a lightswitch.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#115

Post by cannonedhamster »

astrodust wrote: post #42
rpmisms wrote: post #2

Yay, can't wait for my FitBit to be EOL'd randomly.

It'll be interesting to see if FitBit sales implode because of acquisition rumors.

I can literally buy a $30 Chinese smartwatch that does 95% of what Fitbit and their $200 devices claim. The Chinese product spies on me less, has better customer service, and isn't asking me to join their stupid service which just locked up parts of the device that used to come with it. I'm surprised that they haven't imploded already.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#116

Post by CydeWeys »

philliphaydon wrote: post #69

Ah nooo please. Anyone but google. I love my Fitbit charge 3 and was thinking about replacing my Fitbit scale because my original model just died after 6 years. If google is going to buy Fitbit then I’m out.

I've found that Garmin has higher quality hardware than Fitbit anyway. Every Fitbit I ever had ended up being replaced multiple times under warranty because the hardware was very low quality (or badly designed) and broke.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#118

Post by markandrewj »

IronWolve wrote: post #110

Was annoying Fitbit started charging for more information on sleep. Paying for details that was included, now they want you to pay a monthly fee. If it was additional details maybe, but to cripple the reports just for profit, is shady as fuck.

Although I like my Fitbit, this annoyed me too.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#119

Post by jcdavis »

AgloeDreams wrote: post #79
aluminussoma wrote: post #38

I would think that Google's first choice was Garmin. In my personal opinion, they have better watch products. It was reported last month that Fitbit engaged Qatalyst for a sale. I wonder who leaked the news to Reuters, which did not mention a price: was it Qatalyst, hoping to start a bidding war?

Sales numbers talk, happy customers walk. Fitbit sells tons (likely 10x that of Garmin), while they are poorly rated. Garmin really doesn't as much even though their products are quite well liked. Google wants the brand.

Its closer than you might think - Fitbit did $1.5B in rev last year. Haven't check their filings but presumably thats almost all from their devices. Garmin did $858m in rev last year from their "fitness" segment. Plus some fraction of their $809m "outdoor" segment includes the Fenix line, which is also in the same category. So probably $1B+ total

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#120

Post by kohanz »

drcode wrote: post #15

I'd still love to hear a convincing argument from someone as to the benefits of counting steps and measuring heart rate with a wrist band- Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them? Do they feel healthier because they were regularly watching their heart rate reading during their hour in the gym…

I'm not a FitBit user, but I think for a group of people (myself included), being able to measure & track the meeting or exceeding (or not) of goals can be a great motivator for continued work/improvement. For example, if I step on the weight scale regularly and record my weight (in a simple app on my phone), I feel more motivated over a longer period of time to make better dietary choices as well as stick to regular exercise. Without doing that, my will-power feels less and it's easier to take the path of least resistance and ignore the consequences of my (lack of) action.

I'm not saying you need a FitBit for this, but if it enables this kind motivation in a convenient way, that could be well worth it.

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