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Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

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521–530 of 784 posts

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#521
post #495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to google for what "^H" meant. Found an interesting answer and backstory: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/386870.html

omg how is http://answers.google.com/ still up and running with a 2-generations obsolete UI framework.

But look how fast it is!!

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#522

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A cheap beat up iPhone SE fulfills this requirement for $75. If you're leaving it at home anyways it doesn't need to be pretty or fast. Just needs to allow you to set up the Apple Watch.

Friend of mine decided to go phoneless -- borrowed an iPhone 6S from his QC department and used it to activate an Apple Watch, which is now his sole mobile device.

The Apple Watch cellular requires an active phone subscription to pair with it.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#523
post #325

Oof. Goodbye Fitbit. Or, rather, welcome to the world where you're a pawn in internal politics. You may think you have a product but you don't. If your product survives (as in, Google didn't buy you just for the team), your product schedule will have to survive the interests of every other PA/team in Google. - You think you have software to run your products? Ha. The Android team will have a different opinion. - Even…

Wow what a bunch of FUD.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#524

RIP FitBit. Google bought you, which means that a good lineup of products will be killed or infected with buggy, slow, limited and unimaginative software from Google. Prepare to reboot your Fitbits daily. Maybe those always on displays can display Coke or Pepsi ad or two while you are jogging and figure out that you are dehydrated and out of the water, as ad-tech is the only thing that works in the whole Google empir…

I don't see any other company doing things as imaginative as Loon, Soli, Waymo or Duplex. What other company do you know with such a breadth of innovation?

But yknow, they killed Reader 10 years ago so you're right, RIP FitBit I guess.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#525
post #325

Oof. Goodbye Fitbit. Or, rather, welcome to the world where you're a pawn in internal politics. You may think you have a product but you don't. If your product survives (as in, Google didn't buy you just for the team), your product schedule will have to survive the interests of every other PA/team in Google. - You think you have software to run your products? Ha. The Android team will have a different opinion. - Even…

Wow what a bunch of FUD.

Maybe so, but please post substantively here. I know that takes time and effort, but it's always an option to just not post anything.

The site guidelines particularly ask: "Please don't post shallow dismissals [...] A good critical comment teaches us something."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#526

Garmin and Apple have the fitness market covered. Fitbit never had the hardcore fitness market Garmin executed into and Apple has always had a product that works well across the wearable and fitness. Between these two companies I can't imagine there's much of a niche Fitbit does better. On the extreme hardcore triathlon user even Garmin has taken a lot of market from Suunto and the like. I've owned a handful of Garmi…

I'd be willing to try a fitbit if they had a daylight-readable smart watch. I haven't gotten around to getting a Garmin, but last I checked they were the only watch since pebble with a daylight-readable screen--and they support heart-rate. Google has a chance to do better with App integration.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#528
post #446

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> as in, Google didn't buy you just for the team 2.1B isn't an acquihire. They want the customers, the team, and the manufacturing chain at the very least.

Nah, what they want is me, ie. my data. I'm throwing away that fitbit (Google Personal information gathering device) and deleting my account. I'm informed enough to make that decision. Unfortunately thousands of users that just got sold out are not. Fuck Google.

Don't throw it away, send it to me. I'll pay for shipping.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#529
post #452

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, but they’re not going to make money off the hardware, it’s going to be the services and ad targeting based off of the data. You think chromecast is to make a profit?

This is a continuation of the trite bit. What's missing is recognizing that Alphabet (not Google) is very focused on diversifying its revenue stream beyond search advertising, ideally in a way that takes advantage of the things it's already good at. GCP is a good example. No search. No ads. No using of customer data. Just a desire for a really big potential revenue stream that builds on Google's expertise in managing…

GCP is the exception in that it’s the only Google business that does not rely on data aggregation and profiling.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#530
post #401
post #325

Oof. Goodbye Fitbit. Or, rather, welcome to the world where you're a pawn in internal politics. You may think you have a product but you don't. If your product survives (as in, Google didn't buy you just for the team), your product schedule will have to survive the interests of every other PA/team in Google. - You think you have software to run your products? Ha. The Android team will have a different opinion. - Even…

Sundar has been leading Google for a few years now. Larry/Sergey have been out and about for a while now. I am a Xoogler myself.

I'm on the outside but always had the impression Eric Schmidt was calling most of the "do evil" important things.
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