(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The wearables market is gearing up for some big years ahead, and Fitbit wants to make sure everyone in the family will be part of it.
The San Francisco-based company on Monday unveiled its latest devices in Dubai that continues Fitbit's mantra of promoting a healthy lifestyle - but this time with new offerings that cater specifically to women and children for an all-around experience.
Bannering the launch was the Fitbit Versa , the follow-up to the company's first smartwatch, the Fitbit Ionic, initially rolled out last October. In late-February, it launched a special-edition Ionic: Adidas variant.
Improved in all aspects - Fitbit says it's also the lightest metal smartwatch in the United States - the headline feature of the Versa is the new female health tracking, which includes monitoring menstrual cycles, estimated fertile windows and overall wellness.
Vincent Lamoureux, director of new markets at Fitbit, said in his presentation that women are becoming more conscious about their well-being and devices with high-end innovation would definitely complement their efforts.
Fitbit, quoting figures, says the wearables market is estimated to grow from 111.2 million this year to 222.3 million, a compound annual growth rate of around 50 per cent, a smartwatches will be driving this surge.
The Versa also comes with Fitbit OS 2.0, which comes with new features such as a new personal dashboard and an app for new parents that allow them to keep track of their baby's schedule.
Another new feature introduced on the Versa is quick replies, which can send responses to messages from the device itself. It is, however, initially available only on Android, with iOS soon to follow. Music streaming service Deezer is also on it, and buyers get a free three month subscription.
All in the family
Another wearable introduced during the event was the Fitbit Ace , a fitness band designed for children ages 8 and above aimed to help them start being aware of the importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle at an early age.
Among the Ace's features are daily activity and sleep tracking, shower-proof build, parental controls and up to 5 days of battery life. The new Fitbit family account will allow parents to control who their children connect with in the Fitbit app to protect their privacy.
"As much as the women's software is coming from women's request, the [Fitbit Ace] is coming from family requests, saying like, 'hey, we're a family and our kids want to use Fitbit as well'," Lamoureux told Khaleej Times after his presentation.
"That was our motivator."
He stressed that all the technologies used on the Ace were carefully researched and developed, just as it does with the rest of its product line.
"We specified the features based on privacy and... used gamification on the software to make it user-friendly for kids," Lamoureux added.
And while not the first fitness tracker for children, he only has one guarantee that makes it a cut above the rest: "It has the Fitbit platform."
Lamoureux is also bullish about Fitbit's prospects in the GCC especially in the UAE, a country that he says is very interested in smartwatches and health, while also pointing out the spending power of consumers.
"Fitbit's journey in the region has been positive since [we started]," he said. "The fact that we're growing in that direction is very beneficial to our business."
The Fitbit Versa will be priced at Dh899, with a special-edition option for Dh999, and is expected to hit shelves towards the end of April. The Fitbit Ace, meanwhile, is only available for pre-orders on its global website.
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