Fitbit’s CFO, Bill Zerella, was speaking at the Roth Investment Conference this week, and talked about how he really feels about the Apple Watch. A product that is the best selling wearable in the world right now. Zerella believes that the Apple Watch doesn’t excite people, and that’s where Fitbit can grab some of Apple’s market share. Zerella noted that he has yet to “meet anyone who has an Apple Watch who’s passionate about the product.” Zerella insisted that the Apple Watch is a “niche” product, and it really only works for those that have an iPhone.
Of course, being the chief financial officer of Fitbit means he should be thinking this way about the company’s biggest competitor anyways, but he’s not alone. Most people that own an Apple Watch buy it because it works with their iPhone, and no other reason really. Sure it has some nice features, but as far as smartwatches go, it works the best with the iPhone than any other smartwatch. That shouldn’t be a surprise since Apple is able to control the ecosystem entirely.
Fitbit itself has only recently truly gotten into the smartwatch space, with the Ionic last fall and the Versa being announced earlier this month. This is all due to its purchase of Pebble, which many still believe was the best smartwatch around. It did not do a ton of things, like Android Wear (now Wear OS) and the Apple Watch, but it did what it needed to do, and it also lasted quite a few days on a single charge. Something that most smartwatches are not able to do these days. Many people that own the Fitbit Ionic are not too passionate about it either, other than its fitness features. For example, the Ionic is one of the few trackers out there that is able to track your swimming. Which does help it stand out. Though that is a feature that more and more fitness trackers are adding these days. But as much as Zerella thinks the Apple Watch is a niche product, so is the Fitbit Ionic and Versa smartwatches, as these are mostly only meant for those that are serious about fitness – especially since there are very few apps available for these smartwatches.