Skip to content
Facebook
Phone 444-546-8765Hours Mon - Fri: 8AM - 5PM
Wellnessbeam
  • All
  • Health & Wellness
  • Nutrition & Diet
  • Psychology
  • Science
  • Other TopicsExpand
    • Women
    • Couples
    • Emotions & Mind
    • How To’s
    • Parenting
    • Sports
    • Lifestyle
Write for Us
Wellnessbeam

Alphabet acquires Fitbit for $2.1 billion dollars

Alphabet announced on Friday that it will acquire Fitbit for approximately 2.1 billion dollars, bringing Google’s parent company into the crowded and competitive terrain of portable fitness technology.

Fitbit is a pioneer of such portable technology, but has come under pressure from other manufacturers of similar devices. For its part, Google has been developing Wear OS software for other manufacturers to make portable devices, but have not gained enough strength in the face of competition from Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, among other companies.

The agreement to buy Fitbit could give Google the boost it needs.

“Google doesn’t want to stay out of the party,” said analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities. “If you look at what Apple has done with portable devices, it’s a missing piece in Google’s puzzle.

Matt Stoller of Open Markets Institute, a research group focusing on competition and consolidation, reported that health is one of the few industries large enough to help a company the size of Google continue to grow.

The agreement, which is expected to be finalized next year, will likely face scrutiny from federal and state antitrust agents, who have opened several inquiries this year. “Obviously it’s embarrassing for managers if they allow it without any inspection,” Stoller said.

Fitbit manufactures a range of devices ranging from basic trackers, such as those that count a person’s steps, to smart clocks that can display messages and notifications that reach the cell phone.

They can also track a variety of physical activities, such as running, cycling and swimming, along with heart rate and sleep patterns. Fitbit usually asks for the user’s date of birth, gender, weight and height to help it calculate calories and other things. Some people also use Fitbit devices and their app to track their food and water consumption. Women can also have records of their menstrual periods.

[box type=”info” align=”” class=”” width=””]Google said it will not use the sensitive health information devices collect to sell ads, following up on promises made by Fitbit.

However, that probably won’t prevent Google from taking other personal information from the products. Fitbit also has GPS models that could track users’ locations. That could help Google know that a runner stopped at a coffee shop on his way back from business, allowing Google to display ads from rival coffee shops.

More importantly, having a Google device on your wrist could cause users to use Google’s services even more, giving the company more ways to collect data and sell ads.

Google’s ad indicates that Fitbit will be absorbed into the company’s core businesses, rather than remaining an independent subsidiary of Alphabet.

Fitbit has 28 million active users worldwide and has sold more than 100 million devices.

Post navigation

Previous Previous
A panel of experts declares health emergency in New Delhi due to pollution
NextContinue
Fewer Cases of the Vaping illness Reported in the U.S.
Gluten
Nutrition & Diet

What is gluten and which cereals and foods contain it

May 13, 2020
The 18 most attractive basketball players (current and historical)
Celebrities | Women

The 18 most attractive basketball players (current and historical)

October 5, 2019

1

Create an account

Create a free account on our website here and publish about wellness, fitness and health.

2

Set Clear Guest Post Objectives

Make sure your article falls into one of the categories of the site

3

Publish​

Post your article and wait for one of our moderators to approve it. Check the status of your article in your account.

  • Couples
  • Emotions & Mind
  • Health & Wellness
  • How To’s
  • Nutrition & Diet
  • Parenting
  • Psychology
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Women
  • About
  • Advertising Policy
  • Affiliates
  • Contact
  • Legal Notice
  • Member Directory
  • TOS
  • Write for Us
  • Publish
  • User Generated Content
  • Editorial Policy

© 2023 Wellnessbeam by Homepro Systems LLC

Lost your password?


Don't have an account yet? Sign up

  • All
  • Health & Wellness
  • Nutrition & Diet
  • Psychology
  • Science
  • Other Topics
    • Women
    • Couples
    • Emotions & Mind
    • How To’s
    • Parenting
    • Sports
    • Lifestyle