Commenting on the acquisition, Rich Osterloh, Google SVP (Devices and Services), said that the company sees “an opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices into the market“. He further added that the company will be “working closely with Fitbit’s team of experts, and bringing together the best AI, software, and hardware, we can help spur innovation in wearables and build products to benefit even more people around the world.” To give you some background, over the past few years, Google has been struggling with its Wear OS platform. Even after making constant efforts and spending years in the wearable industry, the efforts were mostly ineffective. However, with Fitbit acquired, the future looks pretty promising now than ever before. And a large part of that has to do with Google’s close involvement across its wide range of services, which, in case the company plans to integrate with Fitbit’s lineup of devices, can prove to be advantageous for both, the company and the consumer. With the acquisition settled, we can expect to see some significant changes to the Wear OS and also see new Made By Google wearable devices in the future. Google says it aspires to create tools for its consumers that enhance their knowledge, success, health, and happiness, and a lot of these also align with Fitbit’s goal, which focusses on wellness and helping people live healthier and more active lives. It also acknowledges that a lot of user data and information is harvested by its products and services, and with that much health and fitness information available at their disposal, it feels the responsibility to offer transparency to its users about what data it collects and why. Furthermore, as of now, the company says that the Fitbit health and fitness data will not be used to show personalized ads to the users, and at any point in time, users will have the choice to review, move, or delete their data.
