E*TRADE Generation Trader: FitBit's Position in Wearable Tech
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.
UAE's first State Minister of A.I., Omar Bin Sultan Al Olama, told Cheddar how his country is shifting towards technology. He shared his optimism for the future of artificial intelligence, talked 3D printing and more.
In Google's latest earnings call CEO Sundar Pichai said YouTube viewership in living rooms is up to 100 million hours per day, representing a 70% increase year over year. The company's Director of Global Agency says the numbers speak for themselves on this new way of watching streaming content.
The congressman, who introduced bill to advance autonomous car testing, believes self-driving vehicles will change America's future. He says they will reduce human error and accidents throughout the nation.
Stephanie Horbaczewski, the CEO of marketing service StyleHaul, joined Cheddar to discuss how her company's technology is revolutionizing social media. In shocking news, she says face shape impacts likes!
On the heels of launching a new book and a new app, journalist and social media maven Greta Van Susteren joined Cheddar to share tips and tricks for navigating the social media landscape.
Gamers might've been outraged they have to pay to unlock key characters in the new "Star Wars" game, but EA's fast response will boost the game's popularity in the long run, says Tamoor Hussain, editor at GameSpot.
There are over a billion video gamers in the world, and Microsoft is tapping into this crowd and logging user growth on its systems, according to the Xbox's corporate vice president.
Dana Wollman, Executive Editor at Engadget and Michael Simon, Writer for PC World, join Cheddar for the second day in a row to discuss testimony on Russia's use of social media to meddle in the 2016 election. We discuss the questioning pointed at Facebook, Twitter, and Google in order to understand just how widespread misinformation was on their platforms.
The executives faced questioning from the House and Senate Intel Committees Wednesday, with House members putting Facebook ads on display during the hearing. Some received tens of thousands of likes and millions of impressions.
Dana discussed the ads, noting that many of them simply played on race issues already existing in America. Michael agrees that the ads made clear that their purpose was to play on our own fears as a society and to divide the nation further.
Cheddar Host Tim Stenovec discusses a statement released by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that stated: "Protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits." This statement made in reference to Facebook's intention to invest heavily in artificial intelligence that will help the company in more control of its accounts and the information placed on the platform. However, investment in the technology would see operating expenses rise 45% to 60%, cutting heavily into profits.
Simon notes his belief that Zuckerberg is serious about this investment. Dana delves deeper into Representative Adam Schiff's interrogation of the perceived slow response that Facebook took to understand the spread of misinformation on its platform. She adds that the issue here is the algorithm, noting the controversy over the type of content it favors.
Michael discusses the dark side of social media, which the Russia investigation has exposed, adding that he is not sure if we will ever actually know just how widespread these Russian ads really were. Dana notes that she can't give a specific time frame, but she expects this investigation to lead to legislation sometime in the near future.
Kano just raised $28 million in funding. CEO Alex Klein tells us when viewers will be able to get their hands on his computer kits, which aim to make coding more accessible.
