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Apple reportedly dropping Fitbit wearables from its retail stores

According to Re/code, Apple may soon drop the Fitbit health tracking devices from its retail stores. The report lacked a specific reason for Apple planning to no longer carry Fitbit bands but noted Fitbit’s lack of support for HealthKit on iOS 8 so far as well as Apple’s own fitness tracking device plans with the release of the Apple Watch in 2015.

Apple may soon stop selling the popular Fitbit devices, as it clears way for its own wearable technology product set to launch sometime next year, according to sources. It’s unclear exactly why Apple will no longer sell the devices, which track steps and other health metrics, in its retail stores.

A similar report earlier this month claimed Apple plans to remove Bose headphones from its retail stores now that it owns Beats Electronics which offers similarly priced headphones in Apple Retail locations.

Aside from the Fitbit, Apple also carries and promotes other fitness tracking wearables including Nike’s Fuelband and Jawbone’s UP24 bands. Re/code’s report noted Apple CEO Tim Cook’s position on Nike’s board, but said it is unclear if Apple will continue to carry other fitness tracking wearables.

Apple introduced its Health app alongside iOS 8 last month which allows iPhone users to view fitness and health information collected by apps and devices in a single app. Jawbone has updated its UP app to support Health and HealthKit, but Fitbit (and notably NIke) have not yet offered users support.

Apple has announced several health and fitness-related features for its Apple Watch coming in 2015 with a starting price of $350. Apple Watch, however, will lack sleep tracking functionality offered by both Fitbit and Jawbone.

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Comments

  1. Joe Mecca - 9 years ago

    Deleted my fitbit after the CEO’s comments and now I am experimenting with Lark and Argus; at this point, both are much more desirable to me than fitbit.

  2. drhalftone - 9 years ago

    Did I miss a story about FitBit filing a patent suit against Apple that caused Apple to take this retaliatory action? Isn’t that why Apple dropped Bose head phones from their store?

    • Jason Stoff (@jstoff) - 9 years ago

      No, but you may have missed the stories about how Fitbit doesn’t want to implement HealthKit integration.

      • drhalftone - 9 years ago

        Fitbit did say they would continue to evaluate the situation.

  3. archie0527 - 9 years ago

    Called it! As soon as I heard they weren’t going to implement HealthKit I knew Apple would pull them from the shelves

  4. seemyd - 9 years ago

    BOSE – Bose just inked their deal with the NFL in which NFL players aren’t allowed to wear their Beats (or other rival headphones) within sight of cameras until 90 minutes after a game. It’s no secret that Beats are worn by most of the players before and after games.. like Colin Kaepernick who just signed an endorsement deal with them. So by pushing them off camera, Bose has taken away some pretty heavy marketing from Beats, in the way of no longer getting to see your favorite and most popular players with those products. It’s likely that it was deemed ‘imprudent’ to sell – and ultimately support – a brand that has put up a fence to keep them out. Since Beats is now Apple, they have a relationship with those athletes who are being fined $10,000 to wear their products… so dropping Bose feels appropriate. (Patents could always be licensed, and would be more money for Apple)

    FITBIT – I’d guess something about the same as above. Admittedly, Fitbit and Apple aren’t in business to be friends, but rather generate revenues. They have a somewhat mutually beneficial relationship as their products have for some time now worked together in harmony. But that only perpetuates as long as the benefit continues to be mutual. By failing to support Apple’s app and healthkit, Fitbit no longer provides any benefit to Apple that it doesn’t – at this point (or at least very soon) – provide itself [via the Apple Watch]. Furthermore, once the Watch is available, the Fitbit could steal sales from consumers on the fence, contemplating the lower cost Sport option while really desiring something just a little more affordable, like a Fitbit. Maybe Fitbit even has a more capable version up their sleeve that sits right between the current and the Watch Sport, being potentially even more disruptive.

    I’d really be interested in knowing if Apple (via Beats) paid for Kaepernick’s $10K fine. The ‘headphone rebellion’ by players continuing to wear Beats has been covered pretty thoroughly, as silly as that sounds… But all in all, that could be great TV marketing for cheap… “Keep wearing your Beats, we’ll cover the fines!”

  5. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    First Bose, now FitBit? Seems like the competition better start worrying.

  6. ifunography - 9 years ago

    Next week: “Fitbit Acquired by Google”

    Apple Watch can’t get here soon enough. I’m ready to abandon the sinking Fitbit ship.

  7. Ian Campbell - 9 years ago

    As a Fitbit user I feel this is an exercise in cutting off their nose to spite their face. Theres no reason not to upgrade with health app features apart from the companies perception that the Apple Watch will eat into their share of the market. The Apple Watch will eat into their share of the market whatever they do so it would make sense to integrate as far as possible as this would give their product a longer lifespan than if they didn’t. frustrating to say the least, beginning to wonder why I bought this.

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.