FitBit is a pioneer in wearable technology. But the company has recently shifted its strategy amid competition from the Apple Watch, and as the wearable market has failed to really see mass adoption. Cheddar's Hope King and Brad Smith explore the company's performance using E*Trade's innovative platform.
Adult wearable technology users in the U.S. is expected to grow nearly 12 percent this year, according to eMarketer. In a survey conducted by Cheddar, 18 percent said they own a FitBit compared to 27 percent who've said they own an Apple Watch. 47 percent of those surveyed by Cheddar say they don't wear any wearable technology.
FitBit has had an up and down year, with shares ranging between $5 and $7 a share. Overall, shares are down 17 percent over the course of the past year. The company did introduce its first smartwatch in 2017, and is looking to directly compete against the Apple Watch at a similar price point. Shares also hit a 52-week high in December during the holiday shopping season.
FitBit reports fourth quarter earnings after the Closing Bell Monday. Analysts expect revenue of nearly $590 Million, and to break even in profit.
The second generation of Snap's smart glasses are available for sale in the U.S. starting today. Prices start at $150 and come in a variety of colors. Cheddar Senior Reporter Alex Heath broke news of the launch back in March.
The company, which manages and routes 10 percent of all internet traffic, says its new product 1.1.1.1 will keep consumers' data away from network providers.
The social media network saw growth in ad revenue and daily active users and indicated that, despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal, its outlook appeared bright. “The numbers are great, and I think that Facebook is going to move higher from here,” says Andrew Keene, Chief Executive of AlphaShark.com.
For years, Facebook kept its internal policy guidelines under wraps because "they didn't want people to game the system," says Axios' Sara Fischer. On Tuesday, the social media network changed course and made those guidelines public, after backlash over how it handles sensitive content.
"This is our way of clearly explaining, publicly, how we enforce these rules" around hate speech or harassment, says Monika Bickert, the social network's VP of Global Policy Management. Facebook has repeatedly come under fire for how it decides which content violates its policies and needs to be pulled down. Now, it is making its guidelines public for the first time and will allow users to appeal their decisions.
Facebook consults experts and organizations to determine whether or not content on its site violates policy and should be removed, says Monika Bickert, the company's VP of Global Policy Management. The social media network has repeatedly come under fire for those decisions. Now, in a bid to increase transparency, Facebook is making its guidelines public for the first time and will let users appeal their decisions.
Gmail is getting a makeover. On Wednesday, Google introduced a redesign of its hugely popular email platform. The new features include confidentiality mode and smart reply. Google is rolling out the update starting today, but it won't be immediately available to all 1.4 billion users worldwide.
Twitter reported earnings before the bell Wednesday, beating expectations on earnings and revenue. This marks the second profitable quarter in a row for the social media company. Cheddar senior reporter Alex Heath joins Kristen Scholer and Tim Stenovec to discuss what's in store for the rest of the year.
And we talk to comedian Rob Schneider about his Netflix show, "Real Rob." The show is loosely based on Schneider's life. He says the dynamic between him and his wife on the show is similar to Lucy and Ricky from "I Love Lucy." He also tells us what stocks he's most excited about.
A culture shift at the company has pushed Microsoft to stop competing with Apple and work with them instead. "That's just a natural thing for us to do," says Chris Capossela, Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft.
A total of 72,000 gamers qualified for the 17-week long video game competition, and only 102 -- "the elite of the elite" -- made the final cut, says Brendan Donohue, managing director of the League.
The former Miss Universe says her social media content has been stolen in the past. "You have to be really careful," Culpo told Cheddar.
