Fitbit\u2019s (FIT) first \u201cproper\u201d smartwatch and first-ever pair of bluetooth headphones are due out this fall after a series of production mishaps delayed the project, Yahoo Finance has learned.<\/p>\n
The fitness tracker company\u2019s smartwatch project has been a troubled one. Production problems have forced Fitbit to push an original spring launch to this fall, according to two sources familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one of the more final prototypes, the GPS wasn\u2019t working because the antennae wasn\u2019t in the right place,\u201d one of those sources told Yahoo Finance. \u201cThey had to go back to the drawing board to redesign the product so the GPS got a strong signal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fitbit\u2019s design team also ran into problems making its smartwatch fully waterproof, even though that\u2019s a key design element for the Apple\u00a0Watch Series 2. Indeed, it\u2019s still unclear as of the publication of this article whether the device will launch with the waterproof feature. If it isn\u2019t waterproof, critics may perceive it to be an inferior product to Apple\u2019s \u2014 especially given that the device will launch roughly a year after the Apple Watch Series 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of whether Fitbit manages to make it waterproof, I think they have to release the watch later this year,\u201d one of our sources familiar with the matter told Yahoo Finance. \u201cIt\u2019s literally sink or swim time for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
A \u2018very retro-looking\u2019 smartwatch<\/strong><\/p>\n The watch, according to the two sources familiar with the matter, will include a color display with 1,000 nits of brightness comparable to the Apple Watch Series 2. It will also sport\u00a0a built-in GPS chip, heart-rate monitoring, the ability to make touchless payments, the ability to store and play music from Pandora (P), and four days of battery life between charges. All those features will be housed in an aluminum unibody design, which in true Fitbit fashion, will let users swap watch bands when it hits shelves later this year for around $300.<\/p>\n Yahoo Finance viewed\u00a0the presentation deck Fitbit showed retail partners like Best Buy (BBY) and Target (TGT) behind closed doors. That deck revealed a general design aesthetic that resembles a product in the company\u2019s current product line: the Blaze.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very retro-looking with the lines and stuff \u2014 definitely not sexy,\u201d one source told Yahoo Finance. Several employees who saw the design complained about it, the source said.<\/p>\n Fitbit also plans on releasing a pair of Bluetooth headphones alongside the smartwatch, according to Yahoo Finance\u2019s sources. Similar in design to Beats and Apple\u2019s (AAPL) Beats X earbuds, Fitbit\u2019s earbuds will hang around your neck. Expect them in two colors, which the company has dubbed \u201cNightfall Blue\u201d and \u201cLunar Gray.\u201d<\/p>\n A Fitbit spokesperson declined to comment on these details.\u00a0\u201cWe know there is a lot of interest in our entry into the smartwatch category,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have news to share at this time and do not comment on rumors or speculation.\u201d<\/p>\n