Fitbit currently leads the technology world in the fitness tracking/heart rate monitor race. Yet, despite ever increasing competition coming from everywhere, we haven’t heard from them in a while. We’re going to hear them loud and clear in 2015.
Next year, Fitbit will introduce their new products, Charge HR and Surge. The Charge HR not only measures your heart all day, but does so during your sleep. It has five days of battery life without a charger (I wish my iPod touch could do that!) and has snap-on prongs for a snuggle fit. The 24 hour heart rate tracker on this is called Pure Plus. It also counts calorie burns for activities ranging from running to biking to yoga. The price of Charge HR should run $150.
The more elaborate Fitbit product is called Fitbit Surge, also dubbed as ‘fitness smartwatch’. It does everything the Charge HR can do. But Surge has LCD technology, GPS, caller ID, and text messaging. With your connected phone, you can do all this, and the battery life also last five days, though it goes a lot shorter while using a GPS. Surge also works as a compass.? It promises fitness touching and is water resistant, perfect for swimmers. The Fitbit Surge will run you $250.
As stated before, the competition in the fitness tracking is increasing. Plus, in many eyes, Fitbit doesn’t have the best of reputation. So I’m wondering why is Fitbit waiting to release their new products until after the new year? Wouldn’t it make sense to put Surge and Charge out in November, just in time for the holiday season? To their credit, Fitbit is releasing Fitbit Charge in November, which is a basic heart rate monitor on your wrist for $130. Why not release all three? Are they just not ready? This holiday season, the competition is going to run away with profits that could and should have been Fitbit’s. What’s behind the mystery of Fitbit?