It's a niche market for runners since about 2007, and became a small trendy fad the past couple years. They've all been plagued by the same problems of bad battery life, bad user interface and high price.
Huh? FitBits track steps whether you are running, walking, or climbing stairs. At my company, those steps of mine (measuring in the thousands per day) get me points via a third-party program (Vitality) that we use. Those points get me money. In 6 months the $80 FitBit paid for itself. Because of this, it's anything but a niche market in our locality.
As far as the interface, it really has NONE to speak of, but in 5 lighted dots, it tells me what I need to know. Via BlueTooth it syncs with the iPhone app and tells me a whole lot more. Battery life is over a week. I'm not sure which of these statistics you consider "plaguing."
In any case, it would take a nice-looking device to make want to not wear my Seiko OR my FitBit - but with Apple, it's possible.
Tim promised product category not iPhone accessories.
Agree. I am hoping this is more than a fancy remote screen. When I sit down for lunch or meetings, I take my iPhone out of my pocket and sit it on the table where I can see it anyway.