It has not been a good year for Jawbone, the once-pioneering maker of fitness trackers and Bluetooth speakers, and it appears to be getting worse. Multiple reports over the weekend say that the company is running on fumes, unable to pay its third-party support vendor and nearly sold out of products. Jawbone had apparently been using the Portland, Maine company NexRep to … [Read more...]
Reports have Jawbone Either Pivoting or Circling the Drain
Something's up with Jawbone. The wearables/Bluetooth speaker/earbud maker was in the news today, and not in a good way. TechInsider reports that the company, which raised $165 million in a down round a few months ago, has stopped producing its UP2, UP3, and UP4 fitness trackers, selling existing inventory to liquidators. And Fortune says that Jawbone is exiting the Bluetooth … [Read more...]
Judge Tosses Jawbone Patents in Trade Fight with Fitbit
Remember that Jawbone and Fitbit were suing each other over patents and trade secrets and unfair hiring practices? Jawbone started the fight, but Fitbit's coming out better. A judge at the International Trade Commission yesterday tossed out Jawbone's patents, ruling that the company's patent on the very idea of gathering heath and sleep data is invalid. The ruling weakens … [Read more...]
Jawbone Raises $165 Million in a Down Round as President Heads Back to Google
If you still think that tech valuations will always grow the sky, you need to start paying attention. Troubled tracker/speaker/headset maker Jawbone just raised $165 million at a valuation about half its previous round. At the same time, the company confirmed that its president, Sameer Samat, was returning to Google. The new funding round valued the company at $1.5 billion. … [Read more...]
What the Misfit Purchase Means for Wearables Startups
Misfit, which began life as a Kickstarter and became one of the best known wearables companies, was bought yesterday by a big public watch company for $230 million. That was probably its best possible end as an independent company. Misfit, over its four years of life, had raised $63 million in three rounds of funding. The products are beautiful and have a loyal following. … [Read more...]
Jawbone Updates UP ROMs to Track Sleep and Passive Heart Rate
Jawbone today released new ROM updates to its UP 2, 3, and 4 fitness trackers to enable them to track sleep and resting heart rate. Previously, customers had to tap their devices to put them into sleep mode; the update will figure out when you're sleeping tap-free. Also, the Up3 and Up4 bands will now measure not just resting heart rate, but passive heart rate -- your typical … [Read more...]
Apple Watch a Close Number 2 Behind Fitbit, Says IDC
We've been saying for months that we won't judge the Apple Watch a success or failure until we see hard numbers from a company like IDC. Now, the market intelligence company says Apple shipped 3.4 million units in 2Q15 -- the first quarter of its availability -- compared to Fitbit's 4.4 million. The wearables industry as a whole shipped 18.1 million units, up 223 percent from … [Read more...]
The Third Shoe Drops: Jawbone Sues Fitbit in the ITC
Jawbone said it would, and how it did: sued Fitbit in the International Trade Court in an attempt to keep Fitbit's products from being imported. Since Fitbits (like most, if not all, electronics products) are made abroad, a victory would essentially keep Fitbit off the U.S. market. Jawbone has previously sued Fitbit, the market leader in smart bands, for poaching its … [Read more...]
Will Huawei Be The Savior of Jawbone? Not So Much.
The Verge reported over the weekend that Huawei's quirky Talkband B2 fitness tracker will be the first non-Jawbone device to enter the Jawbone software ecosystem, thereby throwing the troubled device maker a lifeline. The underlying fact may be correct, but the analysis is a little muddied. There is clearly a wearables ecosystem fight going on. Apple and Google are doing … [Read more...]
IDC Puts Fitbit Number 1 in Trackers, with Xiaomi in Second
IDC says Fitbit is the world's top vendor of fitness trackers for the first quarter of 2015, with Chinese Xiaomi in a strong second thanks to its $15 Mi Band. Overall, the world market for trackers was 11.4 million, up 200 percent from the year previous. IDC analysts say that 40 percent of trackers sold in the first quarter sold for under $100 -- not surprising given the … [Read more...]