Fitbit is a pioneer in wearable fitness technology, but it's been under pressure from other device makers.
Google is buying Fitbit Inc. for about $2.1 billion, enabling the internet company to step back into the hotly contested market for smartwatches and health trackers.
They can track a range of fitness activities, such as running, cycling and swimming, along with heart rates and nightly sleep patterns. Fitbit typically asks for users’ date of birth, gender, height and weight to help with calorie and other calculations. Some users also use Fitbit devices and its app to track food and water intake. Women can also track their menstrual periods.
But that probably won’t stop Google from sucking up other personal data from Fitbit devices. Fitbit also has GPS models that are able to track users’ locations. That could help Google know, for example, that a runner stopped at a coffee shop after a workout, allowing Google to then display ads for rival coffee shops.More importantly, having a Google device on their wrists could drive wearers to use Google’s services even more — giving Google more ways to collect data and sell ads.
The deal is expected to close next year if approved by regulators and Fitbit shareholders. Ives said it will likely face additional scrutiny as federal antitrust enforcers, Congress and state attorneys general have launched broad investigations into the market dominance of Google and other major tech companies.
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