HTC Grip Fitness Tracker Delayed Until 2016 – Has HTC ‘Blown it’?

HTC, the leading technology brand, has this week confirmed that they will miss the Christmas gold-rush for their new fitness band, the HTC Grip Fitness tracker. The company have confirmed that the device will instead make its bow in Q1 2016, with the aim of capturing the ‘new year resolutioner’ crowd.

HTC demonstrated the device as far ago as March 2015, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) show in Barcelona, which BurnTech covered. The Grip tracker will mark HTC’s first foray into this space, joining such other prestigious tech brands as Asus in making their move into this increasingly mainstream subset of fitness gadgetry. The problem for HTC is that they have been steadfastly unable to get the device out of the door, due to a multitude of delays. Expected in the summer, the device got pushed back again in July, with HTC admitting then that the device needed more work after”extensive wear testing and user feedback.”

 

The latest statement was given to Phandroid and read:

“As we continue to develop the Connected Fitness platform and elevate our product offerings, Under Armour and HTC have decided to launch a fully integrated digital ecosystem of products early next year.”

Under Armour of course already own popular fitness apps, not least MyFitnessPal, which became ubiquitous with the space. Whilst the ambitions behind this project are high, as you’d expect them to be when a tech giant like HTC work with a leading sports clothing manufacturer like Under Armour, this still comes as a massive set-back for the companies.

 

“This global launch will provide the tools needed to help athletes of all levels track, manage and improve their health and fitness. Our teams have done a remarkable job bringing these products to life and we’re excited to share them with the public soon,” continued the statement.

 

The great problem for HTC is that this space is incredibly crowded. A year ago, you could have afforded a summer to Q1 slip, but its much harder at the moment. There’s a rich abundance of different fit-tech in market, and more and more of it is coming from leading manufacturers, and not just cheap start-up tech companies, as was the case when Burntech started two and a half years ago with the objective of covering this space. So the big question is, has HTC/Under Armour blown it and will it flop with a Q1 launch? We’ll just say that it will have to be a damed good device to succeed now…