CES 2015: Fitbit explains why it isn’t making a smartwatch

There’s a very fine line between smartwatches and fitness trackers these days, especially considering many of them do a lot of the same functions. But despite that, Fitbit has revealed that it will not be making the crossover into smartwatch territory.

Speaking with Engadget at CES, Fitbit CEO James Park revealed that Fitbit will not straying into the territory of more general purpose smartwatches — the reason being that Park believes there isn’t much reason for consumers to actually go out and buy them at the moment. Fitness trackers, on the other hand, have an obvious purpose.

Obviously the newer Fitbit offerings, like the Surge, come with more smartwatch-esque features, like notification alerts, but it’s still a fitness tracker at its core.

When asked about the growing trend of fashionable wearables, Park admitted that Fitbit would be looking at partnering with various companies to offer more fashionable Fitbit devices. That being said, he did admit that some efforts are too high end and end up not being approachable to the majority of consumers. So you won’t be seeing a Fitbit tracker adorned with Swarovski crystals anytime soon.

Clearly Fitbit has a long future ahead, and it’ll be interesting to see how its product range changes over the next few years.

This week we’re bringing you all the latest news, videos and gossip from CES 2015 in Las Vegas. Check out the CES 2015 page to keep up to date and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see hands-on news with our editor Holly Brockwell from the show floor.