Really? The smart watch industry is really just a two-horse race at the minute. Apple and Fitbit. Samsung seemed to have dropped the ball. Fitbit have the advantage of running on Android, where Apple doesn't. Fitbit just realises that not everyone wants to pay Apple prices. They of have watches that are a similar price to an AW (obviously not the high-end gold ones), but some people just don't need that much so they brought out a cheaper model. I think this launch represents what many users want - a cost-effective option. Now if Apple enabled the AW to work with Android then it might be game-over for Fitbit but I don't think they will.
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Fitbit Versa Reviews: Solid Smartwatch Option at $200 Unlikely to Lure Away Apple Watch Owners
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Really? The smart watch industry is really just a two-horse race at the minute. Apple and Fitbit. Samsung seemed to have dropped the ball. Fitbit have the advantage of running on Android, where Apple doesn't. Fitbit just realises that not everyone wants to pay Apple prices. They of have watches that are a similar price to an AW (obviously not the high-end gold ones), but some people just don't need that much so they brought out a cheaper model. I think this launch represents what many users want - a cost-effective option. Now if Apple enabled the AW to work with Android then it might be game-over for Fitbit but I don't think they will.
Fitbit quality issues are well known, shame because I like competition and think this new watch is a good improvement.
I think it’s a bit fugly though. but with the 4 day batter life, they are sure on to something!
Nearly two weeks after Fitbit first announced the Fitbit Versa, reviews for the new smartwatch have now emerged online today. Many of the reviewers agreed on the following points: the Versa is a step above last year's Fitbit Ionic, trading off GPS and NFC is worth it for the $200 price tag, and Fitbit still hasn't launched a device that could properly challenge the Apple Watch's dominance.
The Verge started off by pointing out that text message notifications on the Versa are clunky for iOS users, especially because "there's no way to respond to them" from the watch. Android users will have a "quick replies" feature updated in May, and because of this and other factors The Verge ultimately explained that the Fitbit Versa could appeal to "everyone other than those hardcore Apple users."
Engadget said that while the Versa looks like a "slightly wider Apple Watch," it's also the "best-looking Fitbit yet." To get the Versa to its $200 price point, Fitbit removed some features from the standard version of the smartwatch, like GPS and NFC, but Engadget said that this price drop is what could help the company "reach a bigger audience" in the future.
In its review, Ars Technica called Fitbit's fitness app the "best health and fitness program for any wearable," thanks to its flexibility to adapt to both workout novices and experts. The site liked how the $39.99/year Fitbit Coach service integrated with Versa, although the wearable experience is still lacking in comparison to the mobile app.
As a quick tidbit, most of today's reviews mentioned that the process of swapping out bands on the Fitbit Versa is far more difficult when compared to Apple Watch. A few also commented that the Versa's bezels are sometimes noticeable in certain lighting situations, with The Verge further pointing out that Fitbit "had enough space to cram the word "fitbit" onto the watchface, a questionable design choice."
More opinions on the Fitbit Versa can be found online at the following websites: TechCrunch, CNET, Tom's Guide, Gizmodo, and PCMag.
Article Link: Fitbit Versa Reviews: Solid Smartwatch Option at $200 Unlikely to Lure Away Apple Watch Owners
That was my first thought as well. They tanked the last time the announced a smartwatch.
I work with LOTS of kids and I have never seen so many watches on the kids and they are all apple watches.
Fitbit's best features IMO is its 5 day battery and its sleep tracker. Most other features work just ... OK.
Apps are the worst and are always struggling to sync. It is easier to pull your phone out and check.
Apps are the worst and are always struggling to sync. It is easier to pull your phone out and check.
As many have already said, those latest models aren't really competing on price either, they're objectively offering less for the same price! They're likely to get burned solidly by Apple.
Does working android mean you should endure having less? Seems so. That's not a compelling argument to buy something.
That's not even going into the fact that Apple owns the top of the market, the same people who would buy the higher priced trackers. So, is there even a decent market for this thing on Android. With Android wear in the dumps, doesn't seem obvious that there would be.
Why not use a dedicated Garmin watch instead, at least those watches would be better at fitness and be of better build quality.
Sales of Fitbit devices have been declining since the past year. I think that as time goes on, people will start favouring more versatile smartwatches over single-purpose health trackers. Hence Fitbit’s desire to enter the smartwatch market. It’s literally do or die for them at this point.
People on here keep making statements
Why would they get this
It doesn’t sync with health kit
I laugh cause these people are clueless
I have both a Fitbit and Apple Watch and I don’t use the Apple Watch anymore
I found I had high blood pressure and also wanted to loose weight and also track my progress
The Fitbit does this better then the Apple Watch because of one major fact
It presents the information in easy to read accessible format, you don’t have to go through several annoying steps to get to it like on Apple Watch
It sticks to the basics that people that want this actions is important
Plus the Fitbit app is miles better then health kit presenting health and fitness tracking data
Why would they get this
It doesn’t sync with health kit
I laugh cause these people are clueless
I have both a Fitbit and Apple Watch and I don’t use the Apple Watch anymore
I found I had high blood pressure and also wanted to loose weight and also track my progress
The Fitbit does this better then the Apple Watch because of one major fact
It presents the information in easy to read accessible format, you don’t have to go through several annoying steps to get to it like on Apple Watch
It sticks to the basics that people that want this actions is important
Plus the Fitbit app is miles better then health kit presenting health and fitness tracking data
Series 1 Apple watches go on sale for the price of this. It's also butt ugly. The FitBit design staff should be shown to the door.
I just don’t get these cheap alternatives to Apple products.... they don’t last, and usually get given or thrown away within a year of ownership.
While I do think the amount of hate here does seem unwarranted, especially on the design (if it said Apple Watch Lite many fanboys would eat it up), I have to agree it does little to pull people away from what they currently have by playing it safe.
I think they should have doubled down on battery life and stuck with a color e-paper display like Pebble had, paired with class leading fitness tracking. At the moment, yes, if I owned an Apple Watch I would enjoy not having to charge it daily, but, it's not enough to switch over.
Considering I own a Pebble, I also won't switch because my "up to 10 days" (a week in actual use) still kills the "up to 4 days" (probably 2-3 days actual) of use with all the functions I want from a smartwatch anyway.
But, considering my battery will die in the future and inevitably some future update won't work with my watch anyway, I don't think I'd be THAT upset using this product instead.
I think they should have doubled down on battery life and stuck with a color e-paper display like Pebble had, paired with class leading fitness tracking. At the moment, yes, if I owned an Apple Watch I would enjoy not having to charge it daily, but, it's not enough to switch over.
Considering I own a Pebble, I also won't switch because my "up to 10 days" (a week in actual use) still kills the "up to 4 days" (probably 2-3 days actual) of use with all the functions I want from a smartwatch anyway.
But, considering my battery will die in the future and inevitably some future update won't work with my watch anyway, I don't think I'd be THAT upset using this product instead.
Yet fitbit's sales and profits are going in the dumps while Apple is now selling 20M watches a year at $300+ a pop; well, you proven your "point", yeah, 100%....
Totally agree with this. I'm an Apple user and love my fitbit. I put it on, it lasts for almost a week, and I review the dashboard app almost daily (which is miles better than Apple Health). I wear it 24/7, I don't have to do anything with it, it just does its job silently without fuss - tracking HR all day, automatically detecting sleep, automatically detecting if I'm running or on an elliptical, wakes me up every morning at 5am, the app integrates with just about every scale and online service, etc. AW is for me just too much unnecessary nonsense and too fussy - I can do better on my iPhone.
Mine have lasted a long time and I'm still using it.
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It depends if you want a fitness device or a smart watch
If I want a smart watch I don't get a fitbit. Otherwise if I want fitness, the fitbit is better just due to the ease of how the information is presented.
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The same here. I got a apple watch. You play with some apps, but really the only thing that was worth on it is the notification apps. I started getting fit and it was just too much hassle accessing the fitness stuff, for apple the UX journey is horrendous. Fitbit, it's press a button, see Treadmill, hold button and away you go, or as you say, it does it automatically.
Garmin? I tried one of them, sent it back, again, the ease of UX is not as good as with Fitbit both with the app and the device.
It depends what's important. Apps or fitness.
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At least the Versa is a half-baked idea, but even if it was fully cooked and ready to launch I doubt at $200 when u can only use the watch, you would like that, unless a cellular was added.
The biggest mistake i reckon was text message direction.
I always thought this was good: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/light-phone-2-cure-for-app-addiction-2018-2
The biggest mistake i reckon was text message direction.
I always thought this was good: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/light-phone-2-cure-for-app-addiction-2018-2
Since you mouthed off I'm sure you are 100% sure wth you're talking about with plenty of sources...
BTW, I recommended Garmin watches which are better at fitness than these watches and much more robust if all someone cares about is fitness.
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Tried Garmin
and the UX of the watch and the app is no way as good as Fitbits.
100% sure of what I am talking about, yeah I only own both a Apple Watch and two fitbits, I only talk from experience. Your point of sales had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the usability of the experience. Maybe try and expand on that instead of a tangent as that had totally nothing to do with my POINT.
There is a whole, originally separate, market for 'sport watches' and 'outdoor watches that existed before Fitbit and Apple Watch (or more generally fitness trackers and smartwatches). Polar, Suunto and Garmin have been in this game for a long time. I personally have sport watches from Polar with heart rate tracking (via a chest strap) going back 20 years (their first such device came out in 1982). Suunto had watches with built-in compass, barometer and altimeter since 1998. Garmin started with handheld GPS devices, their first watch with GPS came out around 2002. Their top-end watches reach $500 (Polar, Suunto) or even go easily past that (Garmin). 'Designer' versions of the latter two go for as high as $1500 with a titanium band, as do more specialised versions like dive watches.
They all have come from different directions but as they have added features from each other, there has been some convergence, in particular for their top products. But if you are an 'athlete' or a 'outdoor' person, these sport/outdoor watches still have a clear edge over Apple Watch or Fitbits, or provide the core sports features in models cheaper than Apple Watch.
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What differentiates Fitbit is their (iPhone) app. If you really are into tracking your activity (and other things like sleep), their app is the best. But if you are more into tracking your athletic training and progress, Garmin and Polar are probably the best.
Some people make the same complaint over iPhones in the past?
The response this hasn't happened to me
My Fitbits are going strong. So....?
Bought a versa for my spouse. She loves it coming from a charge hr. We use the fitness features of the software and I think Fitbit does a better job in the fitness software dept. than Apple.
I picked up my Surge in mar 2015 and still going strong.
I picked up my Surge in mar 2015 and still going strong.