After Pebble Purchase, Fitbit Acquires Vector to Up Its Smartwatch Game
A major Apple Watch competitor is continuing its spending spree. Just a month after purchasing smartwatch pioneer Pebble for what was called a “fire sale,” Fitbit acquires Vector – a high-end luxury smartwatch maker based in Europe.
A luxury option
While featuring a more classical design, Vector watches are compatible with the iPhone and offer a number of different apps.
Hitting the market in 2015, Vector’s watches featured a more classical design and ranged in price from $330 to a basic model all the way to $530 to a version with a rose gold case and crocodile-effect leather strap.
The watches offered a number of apps and were compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows Phone handsets. A defining feature was a 30-day battery life, a big step up from the daily charging needed by the Apple Watch Series 2.
“As with our recently announced acquisition of Pebble assets, Vector brings valuable industry expertise that will help accelerate the development of new products, features and functionality,” Fitbit said in a statement. “With the addition of the Vector Watch team, we are establishing a cutting-edge development center in Bucharest, Romania, further building our global engineering capabilities and expanding our presence in EMEA.”
All current Vector watches will continue to work and still be available to purchase. But no new software or hardware will be added.
On the move?
While Fitbit continues to lead the overall wearable market, the company has mostly focused on more basic fitness trackers – like the well-recived Charge 2.
But especially with the Vector purchase, it looks like Fitbit is looking to expand its reach into more expensive and full-featured devices like the Apple Watch.