FitBit had only launched itself into the smartwatch market last year, with the release of the Ionic. Unfortunately it was a disappointment, with limited app options and a bold but ultimately clunky design, a problem typical of other smartwatches. To be fair, it was their first foray into smartwatches and they were already going up against the juggernaut Apple, which had sold an estimated eight million Apple Watches during the last quarter of 2017.
But the higher-ups at FitBit are looking to make great strides to improve, promising to deliver a product with “more mass appeal” compared to the “performance-based” Ionic. And some new renderings leaked by Wareable suggest a great improvement in design.
— Wareable (@wareable) March 1, 2018
The new device looks to be modeled after the Pebble Time watches, released by one of the first smartwatch companies, Pebble. Wareable also states that the device could be named the Blaze 2. It also comes in black, charcoal, rose gold and silver variants.
FitBit’s execs themselves have admitted their stumble with the $299 Ionic during their earnings call, expecting their revenue to gradually decline around “15 to 20 percent”. So, much for their own sake, they must’ve listened carefully and noted everyone’s gripes with their last release, as the photos show.
