Fitbit Versa is likely to become a top competitor for Apple Watch. Photo: Fitbit
Fitbit is stepping up to compete better with the Apple Watch with the Versa smartwatch. The new wearable looks similar to Apple’s watch, and offers music playback and other capabilities. Plus, it arrives at a lower price point — just under $200.
Apple Watch's heart rate monitor is set to get a big upgrade. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Figuring out if you have diabetes could soon be as easy as strapping on an Apple Watch.
A new study from Cardiogram shows that by using heart rate monitors on wearables like the Apple Watch, neural networks can now detect whether the wearer shows early signs of diabetes with astonishing accuracy.
This giveaway bundle includes smartwatches, backup batteries, ultra-tough iPhone cases and lots more. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
‘Tis the season to take advantage of free gear and gadgets. By entering this giveaway, you’re eligible for the awesome haul of seven best-selling goodies listed below. So you can get a top-shelf, drop-proof iPhone case; a lens kit for your iPhone; an Alexa-integrated smartwatch; waterproof and wireless headphones, and lots more.
Apple Watch is no flop. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
2016 was a fantastic year for Apple Watch, according to the latest info from the International Data Corporation that shows Apple’s wearable just experience its best quarter ever.
In its latest report, IDC analysts say Apple Watch is finally closing the gap on Fitbit, which just experienced its largest declines ever in the fourth quarter.
And yet, sales of fitness trackers are healthier than ever, while struggling smartwatch makers are desperately trying to reposition their gadgets to muscle into the fitness market. So what is going on? If fitness trackers really don’t work, why are consumers still buying them?
Is fitness really all that Apple Watch is fit for? Photo: Apple
The writing has been on the wall for smartwatches ever since Cupertino chose to focus on sports and fitness features for Apple Watch Series 2. Smartwatch sales are plummeting, and fitness seems to be the only profitable area remaining in the wearables sector.
More evidence of this trend emerged this week, with smartwatch trailblazer Pebble reportedly being acquired by fitness wearables specialist Fitbit. We might very well be witnessing the demise of the smartwatch as we know it.
So how did we get here? Is Apple Watch really only fit for fitness, or could it still one day fulfill its destiny and become a true wrist-based computing platform?
Lifeclock One makes you Snake Plissken-chic. Photo: Jonathan Zufi
Before there was an Apple Watch, Snake Plissken had a kind of smartwatch that tracked his health. He knew that if his watch hit zero before he could rescue the President of the United States, he could count on the explosives injected into his neck to go off.
But that’s not the point. What matters is that the countdown clock attached to actor Kurt Russell for the 1981 classic Escape from New York would make a really stylish smartwatch today. And you can now own one and wear it as if your president’s life depended on it.
The wait for Apple Watch Nike+ is almost over. Photo: Apple
Apple’s website confirms that Apple Watch Nike+ will become available October 28. Customers can preorder all four models of the device now, with prices starting at $369 for the 38mm variant and $399 for the 42mm.