
Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit - rubayeet
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fitbit-m-a-alphabet-exclusive/exclusive-google-owner-alphabet-in-bid-to-buy-fitbit-sources-idUSKBN1X71NY
======
ignoramous
> 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 their
wearables research division for $40M [0]. It looks like Google is gearing up
to launch multiple wearables. Xiaomi, Huawei, and Huami have really taken the
wearables market by storm [1]. If anything, price differentiation seems to be
the key. I hope the rumoured Pixel Wearable isn't comically expensive like its
Phone counterparts.

[0] [https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/17/18187026/google-fossil-
gr...](https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/17/18187026/google-fossil-group-
smartwatch-sale-40-million-wear-os-android)

[1]
[https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191017005172/en/Hua...](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191017005172/en/Huami-
Launches-GTR-Bold-New-Fashion-Orientated-Amazfit)

~~~
toasterlovin
> Xiaomi, Huawei, and Huami have really taken the wearables market by storm

You link to a press release. Are there actual sales numbers to back that claim
up? Because all I see out in the real world are Apple watches and Fit Bits.

> I hope the rumoured Pixel Wearable isn't comically expensive like its Phone
> counterparts.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is available on apple.com for $199.

~~~
darkwater
> Because all I see out in the real world are Apple watches and Fit Bits.

Which world? USA? Apple Watch doesn't work outside the Apple ecosystem, and
Apple doesn't own the majority of the smartphone market.

Stats for Europe, 2019 [https://www.gizmochina.com/2019/10/21/smart-wearables-
market...](https://www.gizmochina.com/2019/10/21/smart-wearables-market-in-
europe-grew-2-5x-times-in-q2-of-2019-compared-to-last-year/)

Apple was pretty stable, Fitbit lost half its market share (to Garmin, looks
like), the rest was more or less stable.

~~~
agloeregrets
I think they mean in the US (which obviously is not the whole world) Here in
the US the iPhone is more than 50% market share (likely much higher, if you
were to count hours of use rather than just raw devices. Many mid-range
android users own one simply because it’s what the company told them to buy
and they “just wanted a phone” while low end android devices lack battery
life.) In the wearables market in the US, Garmin exclusively sells to hardcore
fitness fans. They really are a niche company, (a very profitable niche, with
high selling prices). In that context, yep, all you see are Fitbits and Apple
watches. Fitbit is seen as the “android” of the smart watch world, which is
quite funny as wearOS has become DOA.

~~~
nradov
In the US, iPhone market share is 41%.

Garmin sells a wide range of fitness trackers, only some of which are targeted
to hardcore athletes. They have other models for casual users or those who
care more about style.

~~~
Terretta
But 83% among teens (still ticking up) as of October 2019

[https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191008005671/en/Pip...](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191008005671/en/Piper-
Jaffray-Completes-38th-Semi-Annual-Generation-Survey)

------
MaximumMadness
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 seem to be ripe for the
picking

~~~
atlasunshrugged
Something definitely has been off at Fitbit - I had their first device and
then after swearing off smartwatches got a new Fitbit for Christmas. 10 months
later I'm on my 3rd watch from them - the first one stopped taking a charge
after a few months, the second one the screen went out in a week or two. I'm
hoping the third time is the charm

~~~
AgloeDreams
Meanwhile try one, then try an older Apple watch, the Fitbit is straight up
trash (with nicer battery life.) Fitbit UX is bad, and requires tons of
interaction between the phone and watch and is remarkably hard to use, even
switching watch faces requires digging multiple screens into the fitbit app
and a 30+ second sync period, on the Apple watch this is known as 'swiping
right' or at worst, holding down and tapping 'add new'.

The Pebble was worlds better at this, when I used the Versa I was surprised by
it. It sells tons even though Wear OS is way ahead.

~~~
fragmede
> with nicer battery life

Don't discount this feature on a fitness tracker. The most recent Apple
Watches are better in this respect compared to the first one, but the battery
life is still measured in hours, rather than days.

The UX for a Fitbit as a smartwatch is honestly horrible. The Pebble acquihire
prioritized watch apps, in (what I see as) a belief that watch apps are
necessary to compete with Apple. Resources would be far better spend improving
the first-party UX and apps first, before opening up the ecosystem to outside
developers. The iPhone dev kit trailed _far_ behind the initial iPhone launch.

~~~
harikb
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 to sleep,
particularly if you don't need to charge at night. However, even here, apple
one is way ahead - the theater mode will make sure the super bright led at the
bottom won't wake you up.

~~~
mcv
No, charge every night would be way worse. My wife uses her Fitbit to track
her sleep, and it does this very well (much better than her previous
smartwatch). She also tracks how much she walks during the day. A smartwatch
that has to be charged every day would be useless to her.

I have no idea about the UI that some people complain about, but my wife seems
to have managed to get access quite a bit of functionality in her Fitbit, so
I'd say it's good enough for its purpose.

~~~
amatecha
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.

~~~
diffeomorphism
For comparison, a casio watch goes 3 years on a single charge.

I guess apple pay on a watch is marginally more convenient than taking out
your phone, but $400 and having to charge it seems not really worth it?

~~~
amatecha
That's right, a watch that does literally nothing but tell the time lasts a
long time on a single battery charge. If having to charge your watch is not
worth the benefits/luxuries provided by an expensive smartwatch, a smartwatch
might not be for you.

~~~
diffeomorphism
> I don't use mine extensively, though I do use Apple Pay for every
> transaction that I can.

That is why I was asking. The only "benefit/luxury" you mention is apple pay
and you say that you are not using it much.

~~~
amatecha
To give a quick summary: I look at the upcoming weather, see the times of
upcoming meetings, see messages people have sent me, pause/resume/skip tracks
on currently-playing music, track hikes or walks, record audio, check my heart
rate, check the current time/date, and pay for stuff.

------
ChuckMcM
This wouldn't surprise me, Fitbit has been getting more and more "Googlish" in
its slurping of data. My current irritation is that it refuses to 'sync' your
device unless you have location services enabled for the app.

I get that some folks like a "track" they can refer to, for others it puts
their life at risk[1], and for me its not something I care about. Steps and
heart rate are enough for it to compute calories (when you've added in lean
body mass and sex). There are no features "missing" when I only sync it to an
old Motorola X phone (no sim) which is sitting at my desk. I noticed that
Apple and Fitbit have also fought over this, where on iDevices enabling
location was optional (it would still sync), then an update and the location
was no longer optional (unhelpful "no device found" message, but turn on
location and amazingly there is your device right there, turn it off and poof
your device is no where to be seen), then with the iOS 13 update it was
optional again. But on Android it has never been optional.

I interpreted that behavior as "profitability through data sales" strategy and
they needed more data cows to get more money.

~~~
mafuyu
The location services is likely due to both Android and iOS requiring location
enabled for Bluetooth, as BLE Beacons can be used for location tracking.

[https://developer.android.com/about/versions/marshmallow/and...](https://developer.android.com/about/versions/marshmallow/android-6.0-changes.html#behavior-
hardware-id)

~~~
propogandist
this seems to have been an intentional change, to group bluetooth scanning
under locations -- which would mean most people leave location feature always
enabled, and all the apps that access location (especially play services)
gains consent to transmit your location information to Google.

~~~
amaccuish
Not really because bluetooth and wifi scanning can give you location, so it
makes sense programmatically to put it under the "location" banner.

~~~
Breza
Exactly. If you have Bluetooth and wifi turned on, you're sharing your
location. So the OS makers decided to make that obvious by requiring you to
have location turned on.

------
amatecha
Still bitter that Fitbit bought Pebble and did apparently nothing worthwhile
with the tech or the team they acquired.

I loved my Pebble OG and kept searching for a nice secondhand Pebble Time
Steel to upgrade to -- until the Fitbit acquisition where we learned the
Pebble ecosystem was unfortunately doomed.

I've since "upgraded" to an Apple Watch S4, but to be honest it's really just
a "side-grade" as there are major downsides compared to the Pebble OG, like
battery life, lack of always-on display, and the lack of useful tactile
buttons.

Being able to switch the currently-playing music track _without having to look
at it_ is one thing the Apple Watch can never provide for me. I have to look,
see where the UI button is, and tap on exactly the right spot on the screen.
It frequently doesn't recognize that I tapped on the fwd/next track button
either (presumably because I didn't tap perfectly within the hitbox). This
hugely defeats the purpose of a subtle wearable that can stay "out of the way"
and not steal your attention.

~~~
jeremiahlee
Being mad at Fitbit because Pebble was a poorly run business is misguided.
Pebble was out of cash and going to shut down. Fitbit paid to keep the Pebble
servers running and paid people to gracefully wind it down so the devices
didn't brick.

The team that built Pebble built the FitbitOS ecosystem. They have done
incredible work and did it even better the second time around.

Disclosure: I am a former Fitbit employee.

~~~
amatecha
I guess to clarify, I'm bitter that a new Fitbit smartwatch didn't come out
that met or exceeded what I got out of the Pebble OG, to put it simply. The
form factor and overall ecosystem didn't compare, from my subjective
viewpoint. I imagine it has hopefully improved over time, but the last one I
saw that a colleague had purchased (Versa or Versa 2, I forget which) I wasn't
really impressed. :\

Oh, regardless, thanks for giving your $0.02, cool to hear from someone who
worked there! :)

------
automathematics
My Fitbit Versa is my favorite smartwatch (and I have two Android Wear watches
in a drawer that couldn't get one full WORK day of battery)

I'd love to see the Pebble hardware running Android Wear (maybe fixed by
Fitbit to last longer) with Pixel branding. I'm hopeful.

~~~
modeless
Pebble hardware could never run Android Wear. It has 256 kilobytes of RAM!
Android Wear requires two thousand times more RAM than that.

That's the really impressive achievement of Pebble. They built a smartwatch
software platform that was orders of magnitude more efficient than Apple or
Google, but still a joy to use. That efficiency gave them the flexibility to
make hardware design choices (e.g. 7 day battery or 7.5mm thickness or $99
price) that Google or Apple could never make.

~~~
akhilcacharya
The Pebble ran on a Cortex M3. These days the new Mi Bands offer somewhat
equivalent specs for $40 with 15 day battery life on color displays with heart
rate monitors.

I'd be really excited to see something similar in a more traditional watch
form factor.

~~~
andrewblossom
There is some talk of the recently announced PineTime
([https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PineTime](https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PineTime))
running RebbleOS. Should be cheaper than the Mi Bands with a more traditional
watch form factor and decent battery life!

~~~
zaarn
If it behaves even remotely like a pebble and runs on Rebble then I'm sold, my
current pebble has a dying battery and there isn't much replacement on the
market...

------
not2b
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.

~~~
zamalek
If you own a Fitbit (I do), it's great news. Fitbit have done an unmatched job
of destroying the device already. I was honestly considering buying a
different device already.

They don't support Spotify, or really any music app except the one (which I
don't remember). Their subscription service provides no real value at all.
Their devices track heart rate and nothing else. They simply don't innovate at
all.

~~~
sakopov
I haven't used Fitbit since the first iteration of the product, but why would
you want Spotify on a device that tracks your fitness level?

~~~
zeta0134
I do not own a Fitbit, but on my older Pebble, the music integration feature
allows me to play/pause the music, switch tracks (to skip that one song in the
playlist I should really remember to remove), and adjust the volume.

When I'm working out or doing yardwork, it's handy to have access to these
things on my wristwatch rather than trying to fiddle with the phone in my
pocket. It's sounds like the most minor convenience, but I use it _all the
time._ If that were to be limited to only a tiny number of apps (and not the
Android bluetooth thing, which picks up whatever happens to be playing;
usually VLC in my case, sometimes Spotify) it would be a lot less useful.

~~~
wlesieutre
I used to have a Pebble and being able to do music control with _hardware
buttons_ was great.

I could push those buttons through my coat sleeve while wearing gloves.

~~~
seltzered_
I still use a pebble 2 se, and notably the pairing of music controls and
shortcuts is amazing. Without having to look at the screen, sleeves still
covering the device, you can:

\- Hit the back button a couple times to make sure I'm back on the
watchface/home screen

\- Hold down a button to shortcut into an app (e.g. music controls, music
boss)

\- Play/pause, control volume, go forwards/backwards (or 30sec skip in some
podcast apps).

Hoping I can continue to use the device. Have any competitors come close in
matching pebble's button UX?

~~~
wlesieutre
Yeah I had press and hold on the lower button to launch music app, then IIRC
the same button was skip track (or hold to fast forward).

I like my Apple Watch too, but I miss the hardware buttons and being able to
do stuff without looking at it.

Apple's take is that I should talk to Siri instead of using buttons, but the 8
year wait for them to support 3rd party audio apps kept me from building any
habits with that. I'll probably get used to it.

------
krick
Ok, are there any wearables left that can be trusted with personal data? I
want to use it to track my own activity/heartrate, not to be used and tracked
by somebody else for their shady purposes.

~~~
amatecha
Is there a personal data vulnerability/risk with Apple Watch? I don't know of
any "tracking" or other shenanigans around the personal health data gathered
from it.

~~~
eugeniub
You can turn off iCloud sync for your Health data, but even if you keep it on,
it's encrypted end-to-end across all your devices, which is nice.[1] (Some
caveats apply.)

1: [https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202303](https://support.apple.com/en-
us/HT202303)

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

~~~
eugeniub
Ironically, the only iCloud service that is not encrypted at rest. :P

[https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202303](https://support.apple.com/en-
us/HT202303)

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

------
TimMurnaghan
Anybody know a good way to get your data out of fitbit? I've got a year's
worth of decent data and it's obviously at risk if google shutter it. Also I
don't want them to have it - so I guess I'm in the market for something
independent.

~~~
jetrink
Fitbit is pretty good about this. I've noticed that some derived values such
as resting heart rate are not available for export, but the important stuff
all seems to be there.

[https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export](https://www.fitbit.com/settings/data/export)

~~~
flukus
And account deletion is somewhat hidden, it's under settings -> personal info
-> delete account (at the bottom).

When logging in I noticed there's a consent form the I was auto redirected
from. Presumably this is for EU customers only and fitbit don't want to give
the rest of the world privacy options.

I do feel silly giving them this data in the first place though, it's not
enough to trust a company, you have to trust who they will be sold too as
well.

------
cordite
Hmm, I don't suppose they will revive pebble.

[https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/22/14703108/fitbit-bought-
pe...](https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/22/14703108/fitbit-bought-pebble-
for-23-millionw)

~~~
leevlad
One can only dream. It was so far ahead of its time, and I still consider it
superior to any smartwatch out on the market. I have mine from 5 years ago
that still works great. We need more products like this.

~~~
andromeduck
Apple watch is better for most people IMO. The health features, notifications,
apps and other integration at least. Max battery life isn't as great but
charging once a day isn't so bad for the much better data.

~~~
baroffoos
Pebble didn't really get a chance to do health properly. They were making
massive leaps in progress with each release and had all of these features
before anyone else did.

------
all_blue_chucks
Fitbit bought and killed cool wearables like Pebble and Vector. If this deal
goes through they will probably kill WearOS as well.

Fitbit: the grim reaper of wearables.

~~~
ac29
Eh, the market is the reaper of wearables. There doesn't appear to be much of
a market for non-Apple wearables (at least after the initial novelty wore off
- tons of people bought fitbits and wore them for a couple weeks a few years
ago). These companies are only being acquired because they failed to build a
profitable market niche.

------
Oblouk
It will be interesting to see how Google uses the fitbit data. I could see
them synchronizing a user's searches with their heartbeat information to try
to gauge emotional response to topics.

~~~
lrem
As someone who's taken the internal trainings a few times by now: NOPE. Health
data is scary-scary and no team wants to taint itself with it, unless it's the
core of the product.

~~~
mattigames
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.

~~~
notatoad
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 probably a pretty
good guidepost for what they'll continue to do with fitness data they collect.

~~~
taneq
> 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_ ).

------
atlasunshrugged
I'd definitely welcome this - it seems like Google has been way behind Apple
with a solid watch competitors and given they've got the rest of the ecosystem
with the Pixels, Chromebooks, and headphones, bulking up their capabilities
there alongside the HTC team acquisition seems logical

~~~
pfranz
Ugh... I get how Google's acquisition would make sense, but why does every
company have to do everything? I know it's because of walled gardens and
"integration" but it really sucks if you really like Fitbit because of some
niche feature you're compelled to buy into the whole ecosystem.

After watching what happened to Nest I don't see how any current owner would
be excited. I saw a newer, lower priced version released and being forced over
to Google services. They used the brand and likely the team to develop more
products, but none of them seem very compelling. They're all fairly identical
to products other companies make.

~~~
plexicle
Well in this case, Google kind of has to do something with wearables. Apple
Watch is pulling people over.

Unless you were suggesting in your comment that Apple should release the AW
from the walled garden and allow it to work on Android? In that case, I agree!

~~~
pfranz
> Apple should release the AW from the walled garden and allow it to work on
> Android

Basically. Sure, I'm generally biased towards Apple products, but it just
seems like wasted effort they all develop their own phone, smart speaker,
virtual assistant, watch, etc. I don't feel like its doing the traditional
"competition making everyone better." Instead it feels more like a checklist
of portfolio items.

I do see the value in integrating with your own stuff, but I just don't see
these product categories improving that much. When any big company buys one of
these smaller companies I feel like the wish is that they stay the same and
ignore them. I can't really think of any of these cases where I've been
happier at the result.

The best bet is probably something like Withings. It was acquired by Nokia in
2016 and sold back to the founder in 2018. My pre-2016 scale still works and
connects great. Sure, we might not have these companies at all if they weren't
acquired, but they also wouldn't have been built up the same way if their goal
wasn't a big buyout.

------
aluminussoma
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?

~~~
gamblor956
Probably, but it's unlikely that Garmin would sell to Google.

~~~
dblock
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.

------
WheelsAtLarge
Ok, who wants to put bets on when they will kill it after they acquire it?

~~~
xenospn
2 years max is my guess.

~~~
dwighttk
I'll take the under on that

~~~
ethbro
Under.

They're obviously buying it just to harvest the biometric data to build a more
accurate synthetic human, which can then click on ads to generate more
revenue.

------
philliphaydon
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.

~~~
CydeWeys
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.

~~~
jschwartzi
I wore my Charge 2 scrambling and rock climbing, scratched the shit out of the
screen, dropped it, wore it to Tough Mudder, and somehow after 3 years of that
it still just works.

------
IronWolve
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.

~~~
yellow_lead
Yes, I don't see why I should have to pay for my data, I already paid for the
FitBit once.

------
spidermango
Great now google can track my biometrics

~~~
whydoyoucare
That's the whole point, isn't it? And then sell it to healthcare providers, so
you can receive timely advice! :-D

~~~
braythwayt
And let's be clear that by "healthcare providers," we mean insurance
companies.

And by "timely advice," we mean notifications that you need to shop for new
insurance, because they've detected that you have become a riskier bet and are
dropping your coverage.

~~~
trenning
And higher premiums because they can detect some anomaly in your heart rhythm.
Oh sorry we can't insure you because Google sold us your fitbit info and you
have a preexisting condition you aren't aware of.

------
cltsang
If Google could tap into fitbit's data, they could implement some headline
features to rival Apple watch's fall detection.

Sleep tracking is another area in which fitbit is one of the best, if not the
best among peers.

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

~~~
TeMPOraL
I can't wait for my already EOL'd Pebble that was acquired by FitBit to be
resurrected as a surveillance/adtech nightmare by Google.

~~~
ryanmercer
I can't wait for my Pebble 2 I paid for via crowdfunding (shhh I know I got
refunded) to get manufactured and shipped before the company decided to go out
of business, not delivering the product they hyped, and sell themselves to
FitBit.

~~~
TeMPOraL
Me too. I was all hyped up for my new Pebble 2 up until the money came back
:/. I guess, at least they did refund us.

~~~
ryanmercer
Yeah I was really excited. I left Apple's ecosystem when I switched to Project
Fi and really did find my Gen1 Apple Watch useful, the Pebble 2 looked like it
was going to handle the stuff I used the most on the Apple Watch and after
having already been disappointed by an Android watch (ZenWatch 2) I was really
looking forward to it.

------
colechristensen
Is anyone aware of body-metric-tracking devices that natively allow you to
collect your own data directly from the device? (i.e. no clouds,
subscriptions, or preferably smartphone apps)

~~~
lrem
I'm happy with my Pebble Time, gathering data via Gadgetbridge. Well, that
technically is a smartphone app, but an open source one that I don't mind.

------
ChrisCinelli
I do not understand why somebody would buy a Fitbit... I would never buy one.
All the ones I owned were gifts. All the ones I owned broke in a way that
showed a flawed process and engineering.

Their Bluetooth stack is sooo broken. The devices cannot sync if there are
other Bluetooth devices around or only some very specific phones are
supported.

Their forums are FULL of complains for the hardware breaking (ex:
[https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge/Fitbit-charge-
battery...](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge/Fitbit-charge-battery-
problems/td-p/1322842) \- [https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge/Charge-band-
falling-a...](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge/Charge-band-falling-
apart-Requesting-replacement/td-p/1673536) \-
[https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge/Button-fell-off-my-
ch...](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge/Button-fell-off-my-
charge/td-p/1169524) ) and updates that brick the devices (one of the recent
examples: [https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Fitbit-
OS-4-0-2-Firmwa...](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Fitbit-
OS-4-0-2-Firmware-Release-27-68-9-15/td-p/3823022) )... nevertheless people
still buy them.

I think the only good things Fitbit has may be the community and that it is
not easier to replicate.

I guess Google can buy the company at a bargain price. They could fix up the
technical/process problems, create good devices and use the FitBit brand to
sell to their user base.

~~~
baroffoos
> nevertheless people still buy them.

Because most people do not research a product before buying it. They just go
to the store and pick the one with the nicest box and price.

------
Glosster
I can’t wait to see how Google will manage to strip down all of the best parts
of Fitbit and not use them to make a decent product of their own.

------
danrl
Hah! That's the benefit of integrating with Google Fit, a major feature
request they have been ignoring for a long time before solving it:
[https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Blaze/syncing-FitBit-with-
go...](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Blaze/syncing-FitBit-with-google-
Fit/td-p/2051863)

------
dblock
Fitbit is damaged goods. Just read
[https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Would-you-buy-
Fitbit-I...](https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Would-you-buy-Fitbit-Ionic-
again/td-p/2293464) \- I own one of these along with many unsatisfied
customers. Google is buying technical debt.

~~~
partiallypro
I love my Fitbit Versa, every product has unsatisfied customers.

Anyhow, I was actually hoping Microsoft would buy them, and make an assistant
agnostic device that could run Google, Alexa or Cortana.

~~~
lisptw102019
Not enough people wanted Microsoft's in-house product when it existed, and it
was even back then better than the competition in many ways.

I'm guessing they've learned their lesson after buying nokia...

------
seanvk
My concern would stem from them attempting to replace the firmware with
Android Wear. Because Android Wear is licenced they may feel pressure to use
the same os so as not to upset licensees such that any improvements to AW on
Fitbit gets shared. Or they may go the Nest route with custom firmware based
on Fitbit. It will be interesting

------
throwaway123x2
Anybody know how to delete your data from fitbit? Looks like I have a crappy
watch now, instead of a smart device.

~~~
paulborza
If you go to
[https://www.fitbit.com/settings/profile](https://www.fitbit.com/settings/profile)
and click Delete Account, the data seems to be deleted after 7 days.

"By requesting your account to be deleted, you will no longer be able to
login. Your data will be permanently deleted after a 7 day grace period. Coach
Premium plans will also get deleted."

------
borvo
Oh no. First they f*cked up nest and now fitbit?

~~~
myko
Nest seems to have only improved under Google? They were floundering before
the purchase.

That said, they ought to do Google auth integration as it's really annoying to
maintain a separate Nest account for those products.

~~~
lostgame
>> Nest seems to have only improved under Google? They were floundering before
the purchase

I think OP is referencing that Google itself is the lack of improvement. Who
cares how the company is doing if buying its products are out of the question
due to privacy concerns.

I’m in the majority here who would never use or buy a product attached to
Google.

~~~
lallysingh
Nest may not have gone the direction some people wanted, but it's a healthy
ecosystem (within the brand) and line of business.

------
Datenstrom
I deleted everything Google and switched to iOS a few years ago so Google
would have less of my data. Now they are going to get detailed location,
activity, and sleep history for all of those years anyway. You really can't
win can you.

I bet there is no option to download my data and nuke what they have before
this happens either.

~~~
mdorazio
The only winning move anymore is to not play. Don’t sign up for any service
that collects and stores detailed information like that. If that’s even
possible these days. Unfortunately the “people who actually care about their
data” market is too small to justify making something like a privacy-oriented
Fitbit.

~~~
rubyfan
You don’t play this game. We are all pawns, you can’t choose to play or not.

You are the product and almost every organization you interact with is trying
to get a piece of the action. Some of the worst offenders selling you out are
your state and local governments.

------
jammygit
Fitbit has a privacy policy that says they won't sell or transfer your data
IIRC, but that does not prevent them from doing so in the case of a sale or
merger. I hate those clauses: the hypothetical argument is always 'what if
some data miner buys them' ?

This is health data we're talking about

~~~
zerkten
Ironically, the security of the data is probably higher when controlled and
operated by Google. That protection is at the cost of linkage with the other
data which Google has.

~~~
Invictus0
If it gets linked to your other data, it's already breached.

------
johnchristopher
Good. Let them see if the quantum AI powerbots of Google can fix the sync
issues.

~~~
xenospn
Maybe now they'll fix a 3-year old Android bug that prevents simple BLE
scanning from working after several weeks.

------
tempsy
I don't really get what Fitbit offers to Google...seems like they could easily
build from scratch what Fitbit currently offers. And the Fitbit brand doesn't
seem particularly strong right now...

~~~
mrgreenfur
Google gets fitness data attached to your profile for incredible insight into
ad targeting and profiling. Seems incredibly valuable to me. The actual
products themselves are a bit ancillary for google their real value is
realized behind the scenes.

~~~
aries1980
You can export all your data and delete your Fitbit account at any time.

~~~
freeplay
"""delete"""

------
yalogin
I somehow don't see the fit. Pardon the pun.

Their watches though popular are completely self sustained, as in not
connected devices. No link to the phone, cannot install Android on them most
likely. So they are buying it purely for their experience making watches and
not for their products.

Also, I wonder how much Google will want to invest in devices that are not
connected to their ecosystem and might neglect existing products which will
simply dilute the brand. Could be a good thing for Fit though, as I don't see
that as a growing business over time.

~~~
notatoad
>No link to the phone

wut? being linked to your phone is literally the whole point of a fitbit. it
syncs your recorded fitness data back to the phone, and displays notifications
from the phone on your wrist.

------
olliej
I was not happy to find the Fitbit only works by syncing through their service
- eg they get all of your data, and vigorously opposed requests to just link
to HealthKit and not upload data.

Now it seems they were deliberately making sure they had your data so they
could (in effect) sell it.

I’ve held off on an Apple Watch for the longest time due to battery life and
size, but it seems like that is now the only option. You can’t trust any
company to have access to your data.

------
md8
I love Fitbit. I dont want another brand to be destroyed.

------
jdofaz
I bought a fitbit (the $200 one) to replace my microsoft band when it broke.

The heart rate monitor was so bad I returned it to the store in less than 24
hours.

------
akulbe
I've been wanting to get some kind of fitness tracker to go with my Pixel 3XL,
but it seems like nothing can touch the Apple Watch at this point. So I keep
my iPhone around.

If Apple would play nice with PCs and let you type texts from Windows I'd
ditch the Android.

------
at-fates-hands
So glad I got my GF to get rid of her Fitbit. She had the first two models and
both were a nightmare in terms of issues. I got her a Polar Vantage and she
just loves the thing. Never had any issues with it and the data you can get
out of their apps are incredible.

------
filmgirlcw
This makes sense. Wear OS has utterly failed, but FitBit (and the Pebble
assets), offer a great experience. Plus, it's cross-platform (important
differentiator). I just hope Google doesn't try to kill it/ruin it, the way
they have in the past.

------
_hao
I guess I'm not going to buy a new Fitbit device ever again. I own two Fitbit
watches (Charge HR 1st and 2nd generation) and the 2nd gen is still ticking
along just fine and I use it daily.

I refuse to give Google any money.

------
zaarn
I fear that if Alphabet buys Fitbit, then Alphabet will kill of the efforts to
keep the Pebble Watches alive, since they then own the various sites and
domains necessary. I hope Fitbit stays independent.

------
s09dfhks
I didnt see anyone mention Verily, the company Google already bought to try
and make a wearable device.

Did that whole company just flop so they decided to go out and buy FitBit?

------
nl
Fitbit's market cap is ~$1.5B on $1.5B/year revenue. Garmin's market cap is
$16B on $3.5B/year.

Garmin's products are much better, but they have a big range outside the
wearables market.

------
alanthedev
I don't care much about FitBit but sure wish I could get Pepple back.

------
fragmede
Given Android, I'm not. hopeful that my Fitbit will continue to work with my
iPhone, long term.

Edit: I guess Android Wear does work with iOS, so maybe I'm being overly
concerned about this aspect.

------
ilikehurdles
Might not be a bad time to request to have all your account data deleted from
their servers before Google forces a ToS change and sells advertiser access to
users' biometrics.

------
beambot
> Google’s parent company, Alphabet, made a bid to acquire Fitbit, a source
> familiar with the matter tells CNBC.

More like: the source "leaked" to create negotiation pressures...

------
mcv
Nooo! My wife has a Fitbit and she's really happy with it. I don't want Google
to kill it the way they killed Nest.

That's honestly my first thought reading this. I lost my faith in Google about
these sort of things.

~~~
robbyking
What did Google do to Nest? I have a Nest cam and haven't noticed any
difference in service.

~~~
eldenbishop
All the works-with-nest integrations got killed recently. Infuriated me as
that was a major selling point of the platform. I used to have my lights
rotate evenings when I wasn't home. Also had my outside lights activate based
on nest cam motion detection. All that is gone now and they haven't improved
the base services for ages. It's too bad since the hardware is all really top
notch.

------
investologia
I can’t wait to see how Google will manage to strip down all of the best parts
of Fitbit and not use them to make a decent product of their own.

------
jdalgetty
I wear a fitbit primarily for the sleep tracker.

Is there a comparable non-google device that does sleep tracking? My garmin
watch is not a great replacement in that regard.

~~~
jimmydddd
My Garmin Forerunner 35 does a good job of sleep tracking. And it lasts around
10 days on a charge. (without using the GPS.) What model do you have?

~~~
jdalgetty
I had the 235 in the past and now have the 245 music. I haven't tried it in a
while but it was really poor in comparison to my fitbit.

------
noja
Anyone have a recommended cloudless alternative?

~~~
vanous
Sorry to post the same link twice here but since you asked... Look at
Gadgetbridge and supported devices. I just also posted a link to the new
relase... please see here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21381818](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21381818)

------
sailfast
At what point are regulators going to start denying these bids on anti-trust
grounds? I suppose there might be enough players in the "wearables" space but
I'd imagine this purchase could potentially be denied because of the risk to
personal data being further consolidated? I have no idea if the laws on this
actually reflect the problems in the market at this point.

------
nunez
No good options. Based on media coverage about the company, it's either this
or Fitbit dies

------
sys_64738
It’s probably a good exit strategy for Fitbit as they might not have a
sustainable business.

------
HNLurker2
Buying a worthless app. Maybe it's because is better than Google fit

------
corporateslave5
Location tracking for better ad targeting if anyone is curious why they want
fitbit

~~~
freeplay
They already have that from your phone.

If you have an android device, no explanation needed. If you use an iPhone,
unless you abstain from Google products completely, they have it from maps,
wifi AP MACs, etc.

~~~
jakobegger
Phones don't have GPS running most of the time, to conserve battery. GPS is
turned on only while you use navigation apps or while tracking workouts.

So even if Google tracks you all day, they mostly have coarse data.

Fitbits main purpose is workout tracking, so they have a lot of precise GPS
tracks. I suppose those have some value for Google.

~~~
freeplay
Well, a Fitbit operates the same way your phone does. GPS not on all the time.
The battery is much smaller than it is on your phone.

However, Google doesn't need your precise location 24/7\. Polling GPS once
every 5-10 minutes is more than enough to advertise things in your area or
know every place you go throughout your day.

~~~
jakobegger
Google isn't just trying to track you for advertising. They also put a lot of
effort into creating their maps, and GPS tracks are very useful for that.

A lot of people use Fitbits for workout tracking, so they must have a lot of
GPS tracks that could be useful for mapping areas that are currently not so
detailed on Google Maps (eg. many hiking trails are missing on Google Maps in
my area)

------
gambiting
Wow. I was going to buy a Fitbit recently, really glad I didn't.

------
peterwwillis

      > Alphabet in bid to shut down Fitbit in two years
    

FTFY

------
dznodes
Fitbit is a fad of a brand. Why would google buy them?

------
koiz
Do it, the Versa 2 should have google not alex.

------
jhymn
The Fitbit brand-name has become a generic term like Aspirin, Kleenex or
Google. That must be a big part of it's appeal for Alphabet.

When you own Fitbit, you own the category.

------
nyxtom
I still appreciate my Pebble watch

------
aiyodev
I look forward to reading the "What an adventure" blog post when Fitbit shuts
down in like two years.

------
shmerl
Let them bring back Pebble.

------
armandososa
They should change their dumbass unreliable piece-of-crap custom charging
port.

------
badrabbit
Alphabit!

------
mxuribe
Oh i see what's happening...this is Google' play to place microphones onto the
wrists of those who don't use android phones - via fitbits - in order to
capture ever more info for ads!

Ah-ha google, you didn't think i saw where you were heading did you, eh!?! /s

------
thrower123
Damn. I like my Fitbit. I wouldn't be looking forward to having it stop
working with no notice because Google decided to just shut down the servers on
a random Tuesday and shutter the product line...

~~~
blisterpeanuts
Does it really require access to a server, if you're just synching it to one
phone?

~~~
lkbm
Yes, as it works right now. You can't sync it to your phone. (through your
phone). You sync it to their server and your phone also connects to the
server.

There's presumably some caching on your phone, but the server is the source of
truth, and I don't think you can get updated info on your phone without it
round-tripping to their server first.

------
lostgame
I keep seeing new Apple Watches being released, and I keep seeing them add new
features I haven’t seen people asking for instead of focusing on the obvious
issue - the atrocious battery life.

Putting a 3G modem in my watch is the antithesis to what I see most people
asking for - a watch that can actually last more than 24 hours without having
to charge it.

When my phone lasts longer than my watch, there is something fundamentally
wrong.

Hopefully this purchase will result in some half-decent Android smart watches
- that I’ll never purchase anyways because Google - but for those willing to
sell their data out at least they will have the option to do so on decent
hardware and hopefully software.

~~~
scarface74
If you are outside running or even in a gym, having a cellular Apple Watch +
Bluetooth speakers is a godsend. You don't have to lug your phone around. Many
women have clothes without pockets or a convenient place to hold a phone.

~~~
lostgame
I’m a woman XD

~~~
scarface74
Well, I guess I got caught mansplaining.....

------
blisterpeanuts
Like the Palm Pilot, Fitbit was a great idea in its time, but there are many
competitors today that are better built and better supported. For example,
Samsung makes a fitness bracelet that Consumer Reports rates as the best of
breed, though it's expensive.

After an unsuccessful foray into Android watches a few years ago, I finally
broke down and got a $15 remaindered Fitbit Flex on Ebay. It was advertised as
"new/other", but the battery is obviously shot and doesn't hold a charge
longer than a day or two, so they refunded my money.

But I still wear it occasionally, to understand the user experience, despite
the inconvenience of needing to charge it every day. It's a clever design and
does one thing pretty well -- recording your motion and sync'ing to your phone
when in Bluetooth range.

For a while I toyed with investing more in a new Fitbit that would capture
heart rate, but given how much better Apple watches are both in build quality
and likelihood of remaining in business, I think I'll just hold out for one of
those, for when I switch from Android to an iPhone 11 or 12 next autumn.

Though, Google might reinvigorate Fitbit, who knows. But Google also shelves
products with distressing frequency so it might be a meaningless acquisition.
Fitness trackers have become a commodity, with a few high end quality
offerings from Samsung and others, Fitbit struggling to retain its market
leader status, and dozens of Chinese knock-offs in the $8-$20 range that are
mediocre but the price is right.

------
drcode
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 to make sure it is in the correct target
window, instead of just focusing on working their asses off for the whole hour
without looking at metrics?

Convince me this isn't just a distraction and fad with little benefit, besides
being an advertising device on your wrist to inform others that you value
fitness.

EDIT: OK, looks like everyone here is convinced of the benefits- I'm pretty
much on my own in my skepticism, I guess.

~~~
jvagner
In addition to working in tech, I'm also a certified personal trainer (I got
it to volunteer train youth at a YMCA, and have kept at it because I work with
a small number of people who are trying to enact transformation in various
parts of their health & wellness).

I got an Amazfit Bip (super cheap, with GPS and HRM). I lift (heavy, 5/3/1
style) and trail run.

In short: steps are usually an indication of the aggregate of other things in
your life. I leave my goal setting at 8K steps/day. On a 3-4 mile run day, I
get it out of the way first thing. Some gym days are good for about 2000
steps.

On other days, I find that I am near the end of the day and I've literally
managed all of 500 steps (working at the desk).

I do have more awareness of my distribution of steps/activity throughout the
day. If I hit my 8K steps by 7am and have 9K steps at dinner, I know I was
pretty sedentary all day.

I like to see 4000 steps at lunch, and 4000 steps at dinner, etc. Getting
steps also gets me off the couch if I'm having a lazy day, gets the dog longer
dog walks because I see an indicator of what I could give to her, etc etc.

With a busy schedule, hitting 8K steps EVERY SINGLE DAY takes work at least a
few days each week. Sometimes my girlfriend needs another 2000 steps for her
day, so I go with her too. It's a plus and we get that extra intentional time
together. I personally welcome the quantified nudge, and it keeps me and my
family out of the ditches of laziness and that lead to more gym, runs, hikes,
etc.

~~~
vanous
Same here. Not only pure number but distribution is what I watch.

Having another family member to pull you out for a walk has been beneficial.

After some time, we have raised the goal to 10000. Now keeping 13k monthly
average is not unusual now

I have a feeling that most people use these bands primarily for notifications
and I started the same way but then it helped me to become more active.

