A version of this article originally appeared on Fool.com
WASHINGTON, DC What: Shares of fitness tracker maker Fitbit(NYSE: FIT.US) got crushed yesterday, falling by more than 18%, after the company unveiled a new smartwatch at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as competition continues to heat up.
So what: The company took the wraps off of its new Blaze smartwatch, which features a colour touchscreen alongside other expected functions like notifications and the requisite set of sensors to track fitness data. Blaze offers up to five days of battery life, and has interchangeable bands for user customization.
IMAGE SOURCE: FITBIT.
The new device will cost $200, and Fitbit has started taking pre-orders. Meanwhile, Under Armour (NYSE: UA.US) is jumping into the activity tracker market with a new suite of fitness products including a wearable band priced at $180.
Now what: As Fitbit continues its push upmarket to compete directly with other smartwatches, its seeing competition intensify in the lower-end market for stand-alone fitness trackers. Full-featured smartwatches are already beginning to cannibalize stand-alone trackers, and Fitbit is responding to changing market conditions. Investors were also disappointed that Fitbit didnt introduce any meaningful updates to its current flagship Charge and Charge HR devices, which were released over a year ago.
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Evan Niu, CFA has no position in any stocks mentioned.The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. We Fools don’t all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.
