Design Issues Delay Fitbit’s First ‘Proper’ Apple Watch Rival

Fitbit is reportedly delaying the release of its first “proper” smartwatch — and obvious Apple Watch competitor — after running into several design problems, according to a new report.

Several production problems have forced Fitbit to delay the company’s first smartwatch from a spring release to a fall one. In a nearly complete prototype, for example, the GPS system wasn’t functioning due to the antennae being misplaced within the construction, two sources familiar with the matter told Yahoo Finance. To solve that problem, the company’s engineers had to scrap the design and start from scratch to ensure that the GPS would work properly.

Fitbit’s design group has also had trouble making the smartwatch waterproof — a feature that could turn out to be key for the device, as Fitbit’s primary competitor, Apple, has had no trouble making its Apple Watch fully waterproof. A non-waterproof watch might be seen as an inferior product — and currently, there’s no word if the final device will be waterproof at all.

As for how the rest of the device will turn out, unlike its previous fitness-focused watch that Fitbit unveiled in 2016, its upcoming device will be a “true” smartwatch — one that’s obviously meant to compete with the Apple Watch Series 2. It’ll feature GPS, NFC for mobile payments, a heart-rate monitor, and the ability to store and play music from Pandora, according to Engadget. Notably, Yahoo Finance claims that the watch would have four days of battery life — an estimate that dwarfs current competitors on the market.

It’ll be housed in an aluminum unibody design with 1,000 nits of display brightness, which is about the same as the Apple Watch. And according to presentations shown to retail partners, the design currently looks similar to the Blaze fitness watch — as one of Yahoo’s sources put it: “it was very retro-looking with the lines and stuff — definitely not sexy.” Fitbit is also reportedly working on its own pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones to go along with the smartwatch.

It’s a tricky position for Fitbit to be in — amidst staff layoffs and expense cuts, the company undoubtedly needs the device to be a market hit. That might be a tough proposition when it’s going up against the likes of the Apple Watch — the current top dog in the smartwatch industry (and really, the rest of the competition isn’t even very close). And yet, there have been signs of Fitbit’s plan to after its biggest competitor, such as the acquisition of Pebble and the ill-fated attempt at buying Jawbone.

While Fitbit is currently the market leader in the overall wearables market, Apple is still dominant in the relatively niche smartwatch market. Knocking Apple off of its throne would certainly be an impressive feat — though whether Fitbit’s smartwatch will even be comparable to the Apple Watch remains to be seen.

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