Fitbit Releases 2 Follow-ups to the Ionic Smartwatch

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Fitness wearable maker Fitbit had a forgettable end to 2017. The year was being billed as a transition period, but its long-awaited entry into the world of smartwatches -- the Ionic -- failed to deliver during its holiday shopping season debut. Now, 2018 will extend Fitbit's attempted rebound, and the company didn't waste much time in admitting last year's effort wasn't good enough.

Two new lower-cost devices just became available for pre-order and are expected to begin shipping in April and May.

Lower prices and new demographics

Fitbit's two new wearables, the Versa and the Ace, carry lower price points than previous models. With the Ace, the company is going after a new demographic: kids. This isn't the first wearable designed with a younger audience in mind, but it's the first for Fitbit. Ace tracks steps, active

The Fitbit Ace fitness tracker for kids, a thin band in purple with a digital display in the center.
The Fitbit Ace fitness tracker for kids, a thin band in purple with a digital display in the center.

The new Fitbit Ace for kids. Image source: Fitbit.

minutes, and sleep; has up to five days of battery life; and is showerproof. The idea is to keep kids active, and Ace will try to do so by gamifying activity. Parents will also be able to monitor their children and keep track of whom they connect with in the Fitbit app. The device rings up at $99.95.

As for the Versa, the company is making some concessions in light of the popularity of devices like the Apple Watch. The Ionic's starting price is $299.95, just $30 less than Apple's latest offering. Apparently that wasn't cheap enough, and many consumer reviews complained about the chunky design. Thus a second smartwatch, this one priced at only $199.95. The Versa smartwatch will tote nearly all of the features the Ionic has, less built-in GPS and mobile payments (except in special edition models).

The Versa on the left and Ionic on the right. Versa is slightly smaller and has rounded corners, displayed in pink. The Ionic is in gray and has a brown leather wristband.
The Versa on the left and Ionic on the right. Versa is slightly smaller and has rounded corners, displayed in pink. The Ionic is in gray and has a brown leather wristband.

The Versa is pictured on the left, the Ionic on the right. Image source: Fitbit.

That doesn't mean the Ionic is dead. In fact, a new Adidas edition began selling in March. However, with the launch of the cheaper and smaller-framed Versa with a near-identical list of features, this looks like it will be Fitbit's new flagship watch for the time being.

Why the Versa was needed

It seems like Fitbit forgot it was a small company in a fast-growing and ever-changing industry. Innovation dried up a few years ago, and its wearable fitness trackers steadily lost market share to more advanced smartwatches like the aforementioned Apple Watch and Alphabet's Android devices. Overseas, the market has been flooded with low-cost options like those from Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi.

As a result, Fitbit's sales have been in a year-over-year downward slide for a while now. According to industry research group IDC, the one-time champion of the wearables industry fell to third place in device shipments behind Apple and Xiaomi during 2017.