Fitbit shipped 1 million Versa smartwatches in six weeks
Its second smartwatch is faring much better than its first.
The Ionic didn't do much to turn around Fitbit's ailing fortunes, but the Versa is faring decidedly better. Fitbit has revealed that it has shipped "more than" 1 million Versa smartwatches in the six weeks since the wristwear went on sale April 16th. While that's not about to make Apple break out in a cold sweat (Canalys estimated that Apple shipped 3.8 million watches in the first quarter) and doesn't guarantee a similar number of end-user sales, it's strong for a multi-platform smartwatch. It's also telling that Fitbit is willing to crow about Versa shipments in the first place. Companies tend to be quiet about smartwatch sales even when they're successful -- Fitbit clearly wants to show that the Versa isn't struggling like the Ionic was.
The device maker didn't go into detail as to why it thought the Fitbit was shipping well besides noting it's "true mass appeal," but it doesn't take much divination. The Versa's $199 price makes it more accessible than the $299 Ionic, and it touts a friendlier design than its polarizing ancestor. Roll in features like female health tracking (2.4 million people have added it to their Fitbit app, the company said) and you have a genuinely competitive smartwatch that both undercuts key rivals and offers some unique features.
As always, the question is whether or not Fitbit can sustain this pace. Its competitors aren't about to stay still, and it's not certain that Fitbit will foster a broad app ecosystem (it currently has a mix of 900 apps and custom watch faces). Still, this is more than Fitbit had to work with in the recent past, and it might be enough to turn around the company's fortunes.
