Fitbit Won't Abandon Fitness Trackers for Smartwatches, VP Says
*By Christian Smith*
Fitbit doesn't plan to exit the fitness-tracker space for smartwatches anytime soon, said VP of product marketing Melanie Chase.
"A lot of the buzz and conversation has been about the growth in the smartwatch industry, and it's easy to get distracted from the fact the tracker market is still huge," Chase said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
Fitbit on Monday unveiled the Charge 3, what it calls its most technologically advanced fitness tracker to date. The device features a swim-proof design and improved health and sleep trackers.
The Charge family of products is the company's most successful line of trackers. According to company data, Fitbit has sold 35 million in the line so far. Fitbit made its first venture into the smartwatch market earlier this year when it launched the Versa.
While the wearable market has had its ups and downs, research firm IDC predicts that consumers will buy 43 million smartwatches and 46 million fitness trackers this year ー and Fitbit wants in on the action.
"As the leader in the tracker category it's important for us to continue to invest in people who love trackers while also growing in the smartwatch space with introductions like Versa," Chase said.
The Fitbit Charge 3 retails for $149.95. It's already available for pre-order on Fitbit's [website](https://www.fitbit.com/home) and will be sold in stores this October.
For full interview [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/fitbit-gives-first-look-at-most-technologically-advanced-fitness-tracker-yet).
Oracle soars as it cashes in on the AI boom, Plus: Starbucks shares continue to fall under its new CEO, and does anybody actually want a new iPhone Air?
Swedish buy now, pay later company Klarna is making its highly anticipated public debut on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the latest in a run of high-profile initial public offerings this year. The offering priced at $40 Tuesday, above the forecasted range of $35 to $37 a share, valuing the company at more than $15 billion. The valuation easily makes Klarna one of the biggest IPOs so far in 2025, which has been one of the busier years for companies going public. Other popular IPOs so far this year include the design software company Figma and Circle Internet Group, which issues the USDC stablecoin..
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. That is according to wealth tracker Bloomberg. A college dropout, the 81-year-old Ellison is now worth $393 billion, Bloomberg says, several billion more than Musk, who had been the world’s richest for four years. The switch in the ranking came after a blockbuster earnings report from Oracle. Forbes still has Musk as the richest, however, valuing his private businesses much higher.
