1y ago

Fitbit ends sales in nearly 30 countries to 'align' with Pixel

9to5google.com Fitbit has removed its products from nearly 30 countries to 'align' with Pixel

In a move that went a bit under the radar, Fitbit under Google has stopped selling its products in nearly...

27 comments

Seriously, Google cannot support products beyond ads, search, YT, and gmail. I feel like I have been beating this horse to death for years now. Don't buy Google products and services. They will end support for them.
- And Android. I don't think Android is going away anytime soon.
  
  Let the grapheneos foundation take it over
- Pixel gets more updates than Samsung. Chromecast is pretty well supported. Google Homes are supported.
  The only Google hardware that still exists that I can remember off the top of my head, that got fucked, is Google WiFi. They stopped updating it months before they released Nest WiFi.
  They shut down stadia, but everyone got a full refund.
  
  Anybody remember Nexus Q?
  
  I don't know that I would qualify "more" updates as better supported. Length and quality of support is a better indicator of overall support IMHO.
  Google hardware - I have purchased two Google Home Maxes (both EOL'd), a Google OnHub (updates stopped after ~18 months), HTC M7(8?) Google Play Edition, Nexus....I had bad luck, but I'm not trusting another piece of Google hardware for my life.

So... let me get this straight. Google sucks and Pixels are only sold in some countries, so their solution is to reduce Fitbit devices to those same countries?
This is foreboding. Could this be the start of either a rebrand of Fitbit or, worse, a culling of the line in favor of Pixel smartwatches?
Google, I swear if you fuck with my Fitbit I'm adding it to The List (right under Play Music and Inbox). I don't want a smartwatch, I never wanted a smartwatch. I want my compact little step tracker that gives me a ton of metrics data.
- The second Google bought them out should have been the moment you started to be on the lookout for a potential way out. It's unfortunately really on brand for them. There's not a lot that survives acquisition.
  
  That's a bit unfair. Waze is still going and unaffected by being acquired by Google. YouTube is obviously still going and has become a core part of Alphabet's business.
  For acquisitions that have strong existing user bases, they have a history of keeping them around. I'm surprised by this move, I can't think of another example where they've killed a product with a large user base they've spent Billions on. Not that they're killing FitBit, just reducing the countries it will be sold in.
- FitBit will die with the 3rd gen pixel watch, calling it now.
- Welcome to the Garmin Vivosmart family. 😀
  
  Looks like I'll be part of the family soon! The Vivosmart does look like what I'm after - small activity tracker for small wrist that provides me all my bodily metrics for my weird metrics-loving self so I can cross reference it with MyFitnessPal (calories and macros) and Daylio (mood).
  
  Google wringing hands while looking at Garmin
- It will probably be an incorporation of Fitbit into the Google ecosystem. Hell, the new Pixel watch is basically a Fitbit with some additional Google elements in it.
  
  I came from the Sense 2 and it's the same graphics for several screens as my previous watch. They definitely copied off the Fitbit purchase.
- Fitbit will be an app soon
  
  It already is, they're just removing the competing product they bought for the very reason they bought it.
  They already took away the only features I bought one for some time ago. The app itself will meet the same fate sooner or later.
- I went Fossil smartwatch. I'd figure google would keep the apps around longer than the device.
  RIP fitbit
- Fitbit has premium subscriptions. Not sure why anyone bought them to begin with.
  Even before Google, Fitbit made it hard/impossible to sync your stats with other apps.
  Get a Mi Band or something better.

Very much a Google thing to do

One month of Fitbit Premium doesn't seem appropriate. At the very least, unlock full functionality for them if you're not longer giving them a way to pay for it.