Fitbit products remain on the shelves at Apple Stores, for now
Though Apple removed Fitbit hardware from its online store last week, the company's popular lineup of activity tracking devices remain on the shelves at Apple's retail stores.
Fitbit products for sale at an Apple Store in Orlando, Fla.
The versatile Fitbit One and wrist-worn Fitbit Flex both remain available at Apple Stores across the country, AppleInsider has confirmed. They can be found alongside other fitness tracking devices like the Jawbone Up, Wahoo Tickr and Mio Alpha.
Fitbit's One and Flex were also available via Apple's online store until last Friday, when they were removed without explanation. Apple's apparent plans to stop selling Fitbit hardware entirely were leaked last month.
Apple Store employees asked about the availability of Fitbit products at retail had no clues as to Apple's future plans, including how long Fitbit devices might remain available on the shelves.
Fitbit recently unveiled a trio of new fitness trackers set to launch in the near future, some of them with heart rate tracking. But given the current situation, it's not expected that they will be sold by Apple.
Though the Fitbit devices to connect to Apple's iOS, they are not compatible with the company's HealthKit tools for developers, or the accompanying Health app in iOS 8. The company indicated in October that it does not have plans to integrate with HealthKit because it's not cross-platform, though it is "evaluating" the service and suggested it could change course if there is enough user demand.
Fitbit devices were removed from Apple's online store last week.
One possible reason Fitbit's reluctance to embrace HealthKit is the fact that data exporting is a "premium" feature in the company's ecosystem. The ability to freely export Fitbit data, and integrate it with other services, requires a membership priced at $49.99, while Apple's HealthKit could accomplish that same task for free.
In addition to the HealthKit dispute, Apple will also be launching its own fitness tracking Watch in early 2015, and that device will accomplish many of the same functions as the Fitbit product family.
Fitbit products for sale at an Apple Store in Orlando, Fla.
The versatile Fitbit One and wrist-worn Fitbit Flex both remain available at Apple Stores across the country, AppleInsider has confirmed. They can be found alongside other fitness tracking devices like the Jawbone Up, Wahoo Tickr and Mio Alpha.
Fitbit's One and Flex were also available via Apple's online store until last Friday, when they were removed without explanation. Apple's apparent plans to stop selling Fitbit hardware entirely were leaked last month.
Apple Store employees asked about the availability of Fitbit products at retail had no clues as to Apple's future plans, including how long Fitbit devices might remain available on the shelves.
Fitbit recently unveiled a trio of new fitness trackers set to launch in the near future, some of them with heart rate tracking. But given the current situation, it's not expected that they will be sold by Apple.
Though the Fitbit devices to connect to Apple's iOS, they are not compatible with the company's HealthKit tools for developers, or the accompanying Health app in iOS 8. The company indicated in October that it does not have plans to integrate with HealthKit because it's not cross-platform, though it is "evaluating" the service and suggested it could change course if there is enough user demand.
Fitbit devices were removed from Apple's online store last week.
One possible reason Fitbit's reluctance to embrace HealthKit is the fact that data exporting is a "premium" feature in the company's ecosystem. The ability to freely export Fitbit data, and integrate it with other services, requires a membership priced at $49.99, while Apple's HealthKit could accomplish that same task for free.
In addition to the HealthKit dispute, Apple will also be launching its own fitness tracking Watch in early 2015, and that device will accomplish many of the same functions as the Fitbit product family.
Comments
Monopoly behaviour or healthy curation of not-good-enough products? Fitbit was, even a year ago, touted as a highly valuable partner. I don't care for them (I don't use their stuff and am planning on getting the iWatch) but I'm a bit queasy about Apple's general behavior. They remind me of MS 15 years ago. Am I the only one to remember when Internet Explorer was monopolistically pushed because it was "in the interest for consumers"?
Makes sense to pull the stuff, why sell items that don't integrate into the ecosystem Apple is continuing to build. It'd be like selling the Chromecast dongle in the Apple Store.
Except the Chromecast doesn't have an app for iPhone and wasn't initially designed to work with the iPhone until Apple pushed a new, incompatible with their business model, software API.
The only thing that makes the situation problematic is Apple's own success, since pulling their competitor (which used to be a partner and now, through Apple's own decisions, has turned into a competitor), means that this competitor is bound to die. It's doubly damning due to the fact that not only is this true, but it also could be seen as a case of "stifling the competition for other platforms", as Fitbit mention they don't want to implement HK as HK is incompatible with Android (obviously).
As a world leader, you can't be expected to behave with the same rules as the underdogs, and that's Apple's issue here. They've been the underdog so long they don't see that this protective behaviour, enabled by their de facto monopoly, is comparable to Microsoft's in the 90s, and that's a threat to their reputation, which is their most valuable asset (and worth billions).
Apple has the right to sell whatever it wants in its stores. Obviously it's going to sell accessories that play well with iPhones and iPads. As far as not supporting HealthKit because it's not cross platform I think that's a load of BS. Nike doesn't seem to have a problem supporting it. Neither does Jawbone whose fitness bands will be compatible with HealthKit. Just curious...is Google Fit compatible with Windows Phone?
If Apple were the only electronics store, or if Apple was so dominant that their stores were the default electronics store for 90% of America, then you could call it monopolistic behavior.
This is the very definition of normal competition. Other stores could take this opportunity to feature fitbit even more.
First, get off your soapbox, then get your facts straight. Chromecast was and is advertised to be cross platform (including iPhone) in contrast with AirPlay. Integrating HealthKit would not have made the Fitbit incompatible with android; refusal to support HK was all about Fitbit wanting to push its own services instead.
Apple isn't even close to having a monopoly on retail. There are literally hundreds of online venues where Fitbit is free to sell their goods, including Amazon which probably sees more traffic that Apple's online store ever will.
sefe
First, get off your soapbox, then get your facts straight.
One of two things is true.
1- This article is irrelevant because Apple's Store is too small to matter.
2- This article is relevant, because Apple's Store is big enough to skew the market, and this might be a monopoly abuse situation.
Note I never said it was, I said it might be perceived as such. Get off YOUR soapbox. Also, learn to read.
90% of America (...) monopolistic behavior.
I'm not convinced that Apple only sells in America. I would believe they'd have some kind of store somewhere in those irrelevant markets, Europe, Asia, South America etc.
Apple has the right to sell whatever it wants in its stores. Obviously it's going to sell accessories that play well with iPhones and iPads. As far as not supporting HealthKit because it's not cross platform I think that's a load of BS. Nike doesn't seem to have a problem supporting it. Neither does Jawbone whose fitness bands will be compatible with HealthKit. Just curious...is Google Fit compatible with Windows Phone?
Of course it does. Just like Microsoft has the right to bundle whatever software they want with their OS. /s
Note, I partially agree with you. Of course Apple wants to showcase products that work 100% with their hardware, so do we, and that's what I expect as a user on their store. I'm just concerned about perception in a market where Apple is increasingly seen as the bully rather than the underdog. I was talking to a few friends (designers in advertisement and developers) and I've turned into "the Apple fanboy" according to them, which is not true. I just like Apple products because they're simple, efficient, and trustworthy ^^ The fact that THEY are "not in love with Apple anymore"" is the worrying part.
Monopoly behaviour or healthy curation of not-good-enough products? Fitbit was, even a year ago, touted as a highly valuable partner. I don't care for them (I don't use their stuff and am planning on getting the iWatch) but I'm a bit queasy about Apple's general behavior. They remind me of MS 15 years ago. Am I the only one to remember when Internet Explorer was monopolistically pushed because it was "in the interest for consumers"?
If I'm a customer shopping for fitness product in Apple Store, I would expect those products are all compatible with HK. So getting rid of Fitbit is like getting rid of confusion for customers, a win for me.
Fitbit has an App Store app. It fits in very well with at the ecosystem. What it doesn't do is yet integrate with the new Health app in iOS 8 via the HealthKit API.
I think it would be better for Apple to send Fitbit a notice saying that Fitness trackers that don't integrate with the Health app in iOS 8 will be removed from their physical and online stores by a certain date because they no longer work with the direction Apple is moving. Anything less just sounds a bratty kid.
I see no issue with this at all. Apple isn't removing FitBit's app from the app store, or blocking people from using it with their iPhones or other Apple devices, if they did that I would have an issue with it.
Apple is simply removing the devices from their retail/online stores. People who still want to use fitbit are still free to purchase the hardware at many other retailers, and download the app from the app store and use it whenever they want.
Apple has just made the decision to streamline their retail/online stores and only offer the products there that integrate with the built in apps they offer. So if I go into an Apple retail store, or shop their online store I know that health related items like fitness trackers, blood pressure monitors, scales, etc. are going to integrate with Healthkit (at least I hope that is how it is going to work). I hope the same is true for home automation products and Homekit, Apple stores should only offer products that integrate with it in my opinion.
I couldn't give a damn less about what some people think based on skewed perceptions. FitBit says they're not planning to integrate with HealthKit so why should Apple continue to sell that product in their stores. Again, Apple is by no means a monopoly in the retail space. They wouldn't have to sell any accessories at all if they didn't want to.
I couldn't give a damn less about what some people think based on skewed perceptions. FitBit says they're not planning to integrate with HealthKit so why should Apple continue to sell that product in their stores. Again, Apple is by no means a monopoly in the retail space. They wouldn't have to sell any accessories at all if they didn't want to.
As a user or as a stockholder, I don't see how you can NOT care about what "people" (e.g., customers, people-with-money-who-may-or-not-buy-products-and-contribute-to-profits-and-hence-more-products-get-it-now-or-are-you-asleep) think.
I'm not taking of "I buy Android because I'm poor" people. I'm talking of high-revenue, exactly-Apple-target people.
If I'm a customer shopping for fitness product in Apple Store, I would expect those products are all compatible with HK. So getting rid of Fitbit is like getting rid of confusion for customers, a win for me.
Yes, you're likely correct! It would be pretty annoying to have several products, some of which are "more compatible" than others... Then again, you find things like EverNote on the Store, which requires an online account instead of using iCloud Drive (and possibly an iTunes-based subscription), so you can't really say Apple is consistent there...
I see no issue with this at all. Apple isn't removing FitBit's app from the app store, or blocking people from using it with their iPhones or other Apple devices, if they did that I would have an issue with it.
Apple is simply removing the devices from their retail/online stores. People who still want to use fitbit are still free to purchase the hardware at many other retailers, and download the app from the app store and use it whenever they want.
Apple has just made the decision to streamline their retail/online stores and only offer the products there that integrate with the built in apps they offer. So if I go into an Apple retail store, or shop their online store I know that health related items like fitness trackers, blood pressure monitors, scales, etc. are going to integrate with Healthkit (at least I hope that is how it is going to work). I hope the same is true for home automation products and Homekit, Apple stores should only offer products that integrate with it in my opinion.
Anyway, I'll get the ?Watch itself. It seems a much better product to me, and it looks miles better...
I've complained in the past about Apple allowing others to drive the narrative and I do think they could do better on that front, especially if they're going to continue with long spans between product launches. At the same time I think there's a lot of willfully ignorant people who buy the media spin (like Apple is being monopolistic by not selling Bose or FitBit products in their stores). I have little time for those people.
Apple simply won't be one of them.
Like I said in the other thread. Nothing personal, just fit-bitness.