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Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

reuters.com

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Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#451

Post by MaximumMadness »

skinnymuch wrote: post #447
MaximumMadness wrote: post #3

Every person I've talked to over at Fitbit (pre-this news) has been down on the company. Sounds like they've had trouble effectively scaling software/new hardware to the level of success that the initial device had. While this could easily be another money sink for Google as they attempt to figure out some sort of Android wearable, it also has the potential to be an Instagram level-acquisition. Non-Apple wearables se…

I know your intent was to just say the acquisition could be huge. But I want to say anyway, in terms of ROI and being a blockbuster deal (returns being 11 or 12 figures), Instagram is possibly the best acquisition of all time. Booking.com is arguable though with Instagram still growing it takes the lead going into 2020. And Naspers investing into Tencent and Softbank into Alibaba are up there too, though they’re just…

Fitbit owns ~6% of the 45bn dollar wearables market

Your point definitely stands, as a ~3bn market opportunity might not be at the scale of Instagram or Alibaba, but thats some good ROI

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#452

Post by emddudley »

drinchev wrote: post #296
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.

My 5 cents. Fitbit discontinued one of their best products Fitbit Flex 2, which I'm still using. It's a 50 bucks rubber band with 1 week battery life that tracks sleep & steps. I don't really know why they cancelled it but I'm wearing Fitbit flex and later flex 2 since they entered the market and it's a divice that I'm used to wear and forget even when I'm asleep ( compared to the Apple Watch, which nevertheless need…

The Fitbit Inspire HR sounds like the successor... waterproof sleep and step tracker. Lasts a week on a charge, slim design. Costs twice as much though.

https://www.fitbit.com/inspire

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#453

Post by why_only_15 »

trimbo wrote: post #449
skinnymuch wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know your intent was to just say the acquisition could be huge. But I want to say anyway, in terms of ROI and being a blockbuster deal (returns being 11 or 12 figures), Instagram is possibly the best acquisition of all time. Booking.com is arguable though with Instagram still growing it takes the lead going into 2020. And Naspers investing into Tencent and Softbank into Alibaba are up there too, though they’re just…

> Instagram is possibly the best acquisition of all time I vote for NeXT

NeXT acquisition price feels almost more like Steve Jobs sign-on bonus than an acquisition per se.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#454

Post by taneq »

notatoad wrote: post #352
mattigames wrote: post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems if they buy fitbit is because they are no longer really "scared" of it, they aren't going to buy it just to keep fitbit a completely separate product.

It's not like they don't already have health data. Google Fit exists and plenty of people use it - Any android wear devices, but also plenty of third-party devices feed into Google Fit. Any data they'll be able to get from Fitbit they can already get from Google Fit - acquiring Fitbit will just mean they'll have that same data for a whole bunch more people. What they currently do with the fitness data they collect is…

> acquiring Fitbit will just mean they'll have that same data for a whole bunch more people

And this is why you have to carefully read privacy policies. Pebble had a clause in theirs saying they could sell any personal data about you to anyone, either as part of a company acquisition or for any other reason. Pebble got bought out by Fitbit. If that data is part of Fitbit's sale then Google will now have all data Pebble ever collected on anyone (which was, at least potentially, a lot).

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#455

Post by amatecha »

joosebox wrote: post #429
amatecha wrote: post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW my Apple Watch S4 can go a whole weekend on a single charge. I don't use mine extensively, though I do use Apple Pay for every transaction that I can. You can def go 2-2.5 days on a single charge.

You obviously don't use it for tracking fitness then.

Yeah man, pretty much - I don't track my activities because they are too irregular, I go on hikes and walks and that's it.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#456

Post by amatecha »

eugeniub wrote: post #437
amatecha wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah yeah, I have iCloud sync off for everything except the one free iCloud email account. :)

Ironically, the only iCloud service that is not encrypted at rest. :P https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202303

Ah yeah I don't care, I don't actually use it! There are probably 1-5 total emails in the account :'D

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#458

Post by ignoramous »

passivepinetree wrote: post #323
ignoramous wrote: post #16

> Fitbits’ stock shot up almost 30 percent after the first rumors surfaced. In recent months, the company’s stock often traded below $3, down from close to $48 shortly after its IPO in 2015. Today, after the announcement, it went up to around $5.20. Good lord, must the acquisition offer feel like a relief? Surely, Fitbit wouldn't do a Groupon now. The article fails to mention Fossil, but Google recently did acquire t…

You may not have read that far down, but the article mentions exactly what you did regarding Fossil: > Fitbit would not be the first deal that Google would be carrying out in the wearables space. Fossil Group Inc said in January it would sell its intellectual property related to smartwatch technology under development to Google for $40 million. Google’s plans for these assets are not clear.

Thanks. I rem reading a TechCrunch report when I first commented. The hn link, now, points to a Reuters report...

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#459

Post by saimiam »

thevagrant wrote: post #404
harikb wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A watch that needs to be charged once in a few days is actually worse than one that could use a charge every night. Charge at night is a habit that can easily be adjusted to our daily schedule. btw Apple watch does last a full day (I meant 16+ hrs) with decent use, unless you are playing music out of it all the time or obsessively checking time/calendar. Only advantage of fitbit is that some models are easier to wear…

My Garmin only needs to be charged about once a week. If I'm using it a lot for fitness then twice a week. Once I traveled and forgot the charger, I managed to eek nearly two weeks out of the thing. I find this much better than daily charging and have steered away from watches that need to be charged daily.

Which Garmin model? I'm in the market for a running watch and/or a fitness tracker and want to buy a decent Garmin. Most online reviews seem all over the place.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#460

Post by CydeWeys »

thevagrant wrote: post #400
muststopmyths wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I loved my Garmin for the 2-3 months I had it. Great battery life and the minimal functionality I needed in a fitness watch (GPS, heartrate, steps etc.) It eventually irritated my skin (I had burn marks right under the light) so I had to give it up. Even with regular cleaning, I could not stop the strap itching. The nice thing about Garmin (the company) is that they gave me a full refund even though it was well past…

In case this helps: The higher end Garmin watches have many strap options, you can try take the supplied strap off and buy a strap made with a different material from Garmin or a third party. Also, best to take the watch off when showering, dry it completely / wipe down. Put the watch back on once you've dried off also. If your skin is super sensitive, consider taking it off sometimes at night etc.

The rubber band is the one thing that failed on my Garmin watch (and of course it did, it's rubber). I replaced it with a third-party NATO canvas strap and haven't had any further issues. This one has the benefit of more comfort in addition to more durability.
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