Now that the dust is settling from the storm surrounding the release of the Apple Watch in April this year, fitness junkies with a tech affinity are getting excited for an even newer gadget.
It’s well known that the Apple Watch functions well as a fitness aid by helping you track your movement throughout the day. It does this by measuring your heart rate as you go about your business and giving notifications when it’s time for your body to move about and exercise.
However, a new player is emerging on the fitness market that’s raising pulses even without exercise. Other than being considerably cheaper than the Apple Watch, Fitbit is winning customers over as a self-proclaimed ‘superwatch’ that can monitor your heart rate 24/7, as opposed to the Apple Watch’s analysis of every 10 minutes.
There will be many that wish to compare Apple against Fitbit, yet the aforementioned lower price tag, longer battery life, and the ability to monitor sleep patterns, is seemingly making the Fitbit the gold medallist in this race of wearable fitness tech.
So far, Fitbit have spurned advances from sporting giants Nike and Adidas about a possible collaboration, preferring to become a well-known fitness brand in their own right. To this end, they made big news in the USA recently by securing a deal that would see all 335,000 Target employees receive a free Fitbit. Although the staff of the retail chain giant will be given the most basic model, the ‘Zip’, they could also get a discounted offer on other Fitbit products, such as the mid-level ‘Charge’ or the premium ‘Surge’.
Fitbit also worked with Sports Illustrated models Erin Heatherton and Hilary Rhoda, for a five-day celebrity challenge to see who could record the most steps. Fitbit recommends at least 10,000 steps per day, yet Hilary Rhoda went above and beyond and recorded 104,613 steps to win the challenge.
This wave of health monitoring tech is going hand in hand with a resurgence of fitness activities. Spinning classes and CrossFit remain popular choices for staying in shape, yet homebased exercises are additionally gaining approval. Fitness equipment companies such as Hammer and even yoga tutorials on YouTube are allowing for ‘workoutaholics’ to have more freedom with their routines at home, as well as out and about.
Fitbit will have to work hard to beat the ubiquitous brand of Apple to the lion’s share of these target markets, but by aiming their product at sports and fitness enthusiasts, they could well come out on top and be kings of the ‘superwatch’.
