Google To Acquire Fitbit for $2.1 Billion
by Anton Shilov on November 1, 2019 5:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartwatch
- Fitbit
Google on Friday announced that that it had reached an agreement to buy Fitbit, a leading maker of advanced fitness trackers. Google stressed that data obtained and processed by Fitbit’s devices will remain in appropriate datacenters and will not go elsewhere.
Under the terms of the agreement, Google will pay $2.1 billion in cash, valuing the company at $7.35 per share. In accordance with the deal, Google will become the sole owner of Fitbit, owning its IP and handling all hardware and software development and distribution.
The takeover of Fitbit is the latest step in Google’s ongoing strategy to make its Android platform more attractive to consumers. Fitbit has more than 28 million of active users, and while the company is far from the lion's share of the wearables market, it has a significantly bigger presence than the small number of Wear OS devices that Google's partners have been able to sell.
Overall, this is is the second major wearables-related acquisition for Google this year. Earlier this year the company also bought technology and R&D personnel from watch maker Fossil.
James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit, said the following:
“Google is an ideal partner to advance our mission. With Google’s resources and global platform, Fitbit will be able to accelerate innovation in the wearables category, scale faster, and make health even more accessible to everyone. I could not be more excited for what lies ahead.”
The transaction will be closed in 2020 and from there expect Google to integrate Fibit’s IP into the Android platform.
Related Reading:
- Fitbit Shifts Production Away from China
- Google Announces The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL: The 2019 Pixels
- Google Acquires Smartwatch Tech and R&D Personnel from Fossil
Source: Google/Fitbit press release
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svan1971 - Saturday, November 2, 2019 - link
Ads from weight watchers, perhaps and stair master. "Bob your blood pressure is 132 over 90 have you considered using the stairs"Quantumz0d - Saturday, November 2, 2019 - link
Google is in shambles, their PC agenda drivel is driving them internally insane, the Memo leaks etc. The CEO is only capable of driving this but not innovating into the old Google that people liked instead of a power hungry corporatism.They want to emulate Apple and copy all of that walled garden philosophy. Look at Pixel System UI in Android, everything is proprietary, the phone, sms, browser apps got no love and abandoned on AOSP and forced to use the messages by Google app and same dialer from Google again.
Their way of shutting down Android by enforcing the PlayStore update policy by using N-1 SDK, Where N is the latest version of Android (even 10.1, the .1 update is considered as an SDK) So now all Apps which are updated must be updated with Pie support also enforced 64Bit at some point they will drop the hammer soon like Apple making Android castrated to not run 64Bit code.
The Scoped Storage disaster continues to rampage the Android, MSM - Mainstream Media (Shills) only focus on the garbage OS updates but they never care about how Android has been derailed from it's idea of choice, they enforced the same icons like iOS ditto 1:1 clone the UI is downgraded as well. Scoped Storage is worst though, as it ruins the data partitions by making only 3 folders to be user accessible with MTP and apps as well, any EXIF data or Metadata cannot be read, only file types are Audio, Docs, Video which is total BS, since zip extraction is one thing of it along with so many others. Also to make matters worse they enforced SAF - A framework to be used with this and essentially putting all the lines of Hardwork C++ and other libs off the codebase and work with that broken garbage implementation. It's like iOS without Filesystem Access.
https://commonsware.com/blog/2019/03/28/death-exte...
https://commonsware.com/blog/2019/06/07/death-exte...
https://www.xda-developers.com/android-q-storage-a...
They acquired Timely app and ruined it with no updates its broken with Android 10, They acquired Motorola and absorbed all patents then sold to Chinese Lenovo. They acquired Nest and kicked the founder out and made it dead end platform and put Google Home in front lines. This ecosystem lockdown is bad for consumer esp when we already have a draconian mafia Apple.
This is sad, there are not alternatives nowm Fitbit people should be ashamed of this for selling their soul. Google Wear OS was abandoned, no updates nothing and they couldn't even care to approach Qualcomm to make an SoC for a watch or any, even Nvidia does offer some cash to build RTX games. Google never cares, Their Pixel line up is sad since 4 years always inferior and wannabe iPhone - OG Pixel is an iPhone 6 clone, Pixel 2 had still LG.HTC made devices but removed 3.5mm jack and added bump after shaming Apple, Pixel 3 copied XXL Notch and ruined their whole integrity now Pixel 4 copied the camera island and cost cutting on battery, storage and still no expandable storage (Scoped Storage main goal is to gall the Filesystem and force Cloud)
Google is rotting from Inside out their Ad Network and huge lump of cash and their vast scope of Internet grip with Chrome is keeping them afloat the moment any product or project doesn't earn more they nuke it.
tiggers - Saturday, November 2, 2019 - link
Their logo used to be "do no evil". At some point they tossed that in with the urinal cakes, and are starting to become exactly what they said they wouldn't do.The Garden Variety - Saturday, November 2, 2019 - link
I mean this with absolute sincerity: I think it would benefit you enormously to visit a mental health care professional. I used to think you were just a typical Slashdot-style crank with low self awareness but, I no longer think that’s true. Seek help. It may help you lift an enormous burden off your shoulders.peevee - Monday, November 4, 2019 - link
Yeah, ad hominem attack makes your argument so much more compelling!Oh, wait, you have no argument at all. Unlike Quantumz0d.
Either try to argue against him in a civilized manner or go away.
The Garden Variety - Tuesday, November 5, 2019 - link
I am being entirely civilized by standing up when no one else will and commenting that Quantumz0d is exhibiting characteristics of mental illness. I have both training and career experience working in mental health treatment and among populations suffering delusional episodes.I am not a therpaist nor am I Quantumz0d's therapist. He/she should not take my word for it, nor should anyone. But just as you might hear someone coughing badly and say to them, out of concern, "wow, that sounds bad. you should get that checked out," so am I when I begin to recognize key markers of someone struggling with their foundations. Many here dismiss Quantumz0d as a "crank" or a "troll," whereas I'm trying to argue that their intentions may actually be genuine, but with concern that there's more going on.
So no, I won't go away.
The Garden Variety - Tuesday, November 5, 2019 - link
I am being entirely civilized by standing up when no one else will and commenting that Quantumz0d is exhibiting characteristics of mental illness. I have both training and career experience working in mental health treatment and among populations suffering delusional episodes.I am not a therpaist nor am I Quantumz0d's therapist. He/she should not take my word for it, nor should anyone. But just as you might hear someone coughing badly and say to them, out of concern, "wow, that sounds bad. you should get that checked out," so am I when I begin to recognize key markers of someone struggling with their foundations. Many here dismiss Quantumz0d as a "crank" or a "troll," whereas I'm trying to argue that their intentions may actually be genuine, but with concern that there's more going on.
So no, I won't go away.
s.yu - Monday, November 4, 2019 - link
Scoped storage looks horrifying, much worse than I expected. I initially thought this only limits the read ability of most (but not all, as long as there's proper file managers and photo galleries) apps to one folder, but limiting user access is total BS and looks every bit as bad as a non jailbroken iOS.Ashinjuka - Sunday, November 3, 2019 - link
Ressurect Pebble!danjw - Sunday, November 3, 2019 - link
Apple Watch is looking a lot more interesting. Keep the data sequestered is a very temporary thing with any acquisition of Google's.