Tag Archives: grmn

Fitbit leads fitness band market, but Apple gaining

Fitbit leads the fragmented fitness band market, but Apple (AAPL) is poised to gain share with its Apple Watch, a new survey indicates. Investment bank Robert W. Baird & Co. polled 5,000 U.S. consumers this month for its second fitness band survey. Roughly 20% of respondents claim that they own a fitness band, and purchase intent is strong. Nearly one in four respondents say that they plan to buy a fitness band, up from 14% in Baird’s December survey. Fitbit is the leader in purchase intent, followed by new entrant Apple, then Jawbone and Garmin (GRMN). “Fitbit and Apple (are) seemingly positioned best in the growing industry, though Garmin and Jawbone should also benefit from the rising tide,” Baird analyst William Power said in a research report Thursday. Baird rates Apple stock as outperform and Garmin as neutral. The May survey found that 8.4% of respondents…

Smartwatches Already Helping Spark Video Game Growth

Video games played on smartwatches? Oh yes, the small screens of the devices made by Apple (AAPL), Garmin (GRMN) and others sure don’t stop gamers and game developers. The category, on the rise especially since last month’s launch of the Apple Watch, could help fuel video game industry sales the next few years, according to a report released Tuesday by market research firm Newzoo. The global share of video games played on smartwatches and mobile

Garmin follows Apple with heart-rate sensor on watch

Garmin (GRMN) on Tuesday introduced its first GPS running watch that measures heart rate at the wrist. The product comes roughly two weeks after Apple (AAPL) launched its Apple Watch, which also features a heart-rate sensor. Previous Garmin sports watches linked to a $50 chest-worn heart-rate monitor. Garmin’s Forerunner 225 watch uses an optical heart-rate sensor from Mio Global of Vancouver, British Columbia. It also has built-in activity-tracking features. The Forerunner 225 costs $300 and will start shipping this quarter. “Garmin management’s historical rhetoric has been that wrist-based optical heart rate monitors are much less accurate than a strap worn around the chest,” Dougherty analyst Charles Anderson said in a report Tuesday. “We believe Garmin has recognized that consumers want a wrist-worn heart rate monitor, which has been offered by the likes of Fitbit, Apple, Samsung and TomTom on fitness (bands) and smartwatches.” The Forerunner 225 is the fourth new…