FUNKY GREEN: Jawbone and Nike fitness trackers swept out of Apple Stores by Apple Watch

Thursday, 12 March 2015

Jawbone and Nike fitness trackers swept out of Apple Stores by Apple Watch

Apple Stores across the nation and online have been cleansed of fitness trackers that aren't called Apple Watch. Both Jawbone's UP24 and the Nike+ FuelBand have vanished from Apple Store shelves.

Admittedly, Apple's never been keen on stocking products that compete with their own, and the impending arrival of the Apple Watch has seen fitness trackers from the likes of Jawbone and Nike dropped from both store shelves and online listings ahead of the arrival of the Apple Watch.

When the Apple Watch does arrive on April 24th, it will bring fitness tracking capabilities that should thoroughly outshine the more basic dedicated fitness trackers. Not only will the Apple Watch offer basic motion tracking through an accelerometer and gyroscope, it will also measure the wearer's heart rate through sensors embedded in the back of the case. Neither the Jawbone nor the Nike fitness trackers can stake that claim.

That said, there's the matter of price — both the UP24 and FuelBand clock in at less than half the price of the entry-level Apple Watch. Of course, the Apple Watch does much, much, more than either fitness tracker could ever hope, but it's also less discrete and due to all of its built-in features offers worse battery life. There are trade-offs either way.

Regardless, the arrival of the Apple Watch has meant the removal of dedicated wrist-worn fitness trackers from Apple's stores.

Source: Re/code