Fitbit buys Pebble, leaving watch owners in the lurch
by from Techreport on (#24HAV)
Fitbit, one of the biggest fitness band makers, has acquired "specific assets" of Kickstarter-fueled smartwatch maker Pebble. The official press release from Fitbit clarifies that this acquisition includes "key personnel and intellectual property related to software and firmware development," but excludes Pebble's hardware products. Bloomberg reports the price of the acquisition as being under $40 million. In a prepared statement, Fitbit CEO and co-founder James Park said that "with basic wearables getting smarter and smartwatches adding health and fitness capabilities, [Fitbit sees] an opportunity to build on [its] strengths and extend [its] leadership position in the wearables category."
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