Google has announced that it will acquire active tracker company Fitbit for $2.1 billion, according to a statement Friday. In a press release, senior vice president of devices and services Rick Osterloh, said the mega-corporation will use the acquisition to expand its Made by Google wearables while investing more in Wear OS and Google Fit.
“Google aspires to create tools that help people enhance their knowledge, success, health and happiness,” said Osterloh. “This goal is closely aligned with Fitbit’s long-time focus on wellness and helping people live healthier, more active lives.” But of course, the purchase does raise questions of privacy, which both Google and Fitbit quickly addressed.
In a separate press release issued by Fitbit, the company guaranteed to protect user privacy: “Fitbit will continue to put users in control of their data and will remain transparent about the data it collects and why. The company never sells personal information, and Fitbit health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads.”
For Google, the acquisition marks the next phase toward winning the 10,000-steps race against the Apple Watch. Existing Google Fit apps could become more seamlessly integrated with Fitbit products like the Versa. Only time will tell if Google has what it takes to overtake Apple as the maker of the world’s best-selling wearable.
Here’s our favorite fitness tech of 2019 and what a cardiologist wants you to pay attention to on your Apple Watch.
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