Wearable manufacturer Fitbit is presently in the process of considering making a smartwatch exclusively aimed at children, Bloomberg reported earlier this week, citing sources close to the San Francisco, California-based company. Despite targeting a young audience, the potential device would supposedly still be focused on fitness tracking, a hallmark of the firm’s existing products. It’s currently unclear how close is Fitbit to greenlighting the project but insiders claim the idea has already been under consideration since at least fall.
The market for kid-friendly wearables has been gaining significant traction in recent times, with a number of such offerings also being announced at the latest iteration of the Consumer Electronics Show which is currently taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite some privacy concerned expressed by various advocacy groups and governments around the world that even led to certain children-oriented wearables being banned in Germany, original equipment manufacturers are expected to continue increasing their focus on these devices in the short term. Should Fitbit move into the same segment, its decision wouldn’t be solely based on the potential for immediate profits due to the growing interest in smartwatches made for kids but would likely be approved as part of the company’s wider push to diversify its portfolio and move away from fitness trackers whose commercial performance has been declining in recent years due to a combination of factors ranging from increased competition to the general lack of notable upgrades offered by smart wristbands on an annual basis.
The firm’s first smartwatch that was released in the form of the Ionic last month was widely interpreted as an important step in that endeavor that’s ultimately seeking to transform Fitbit into a digital health company offering a wide variety of products and services. Presumably due to the same strategy, the manufacturer recently opted for its first investment, having committed $6 million to Sano, a San Francisco startup which developed a patch for monitoring blood sugar levels aimed at helping people with any type of diabetes manage their disorders. Fitbit is also expected to refresh its lineup of traditional fitness trackers over the course of this year and may debut new products as early as spring.