INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
No matter how you slice it, the Ionic was a rough start for Fitbit first true dive into the world of smartwatches
It was met with lukewarm reviews, and the company has since been fairly candid about the fact that sales figures simply weren&t what it was
Announced in March, the Versa was the Fitbit second shot at the category, designed to appeal to a more mainstream audience
From the look of it, the company is faring a lot better this time out
Fitbit announced today that it has shipped more than one million devices since the watch hit retail in mid-April
Is that enough to right the Fitbit ship entirely Not really, but it certainly a step in the right direction, especially given the sort of
hail Mary pass involved here, with the purchase of several companies, including Pebble, Coin and Vector
It also presents a glimmer of hope that someone outside of Apple can have some real success in the smartwatch category.
Among other things,
the hardware was a much better fit for a larger swath of users than the bulky Ionic — the square design clearly took a page directly out
Fitbit has also been investing a lot in helping grow the watch native app store — the primary reason behind the Pebble purchase
Also of note, the company women health tracker has been a success among early adopters, with more than 2.4 million users adding the feature
That number includes 1.8 million users who have added one or more periods to their calendar
It certainly a sign that a feature like this was in-demand — how many users actually stick with the tracking after a month is another
question entirely, however.
The news was met with a healthy stock bump, as well, representing some good news after what been a rough couple
of years for the company and wearable makers in general.
