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Thanks to the double whammy of the holiday season and the pounds associated with the pandemic, New Year’s resolutions for getting in shape were extremely important for 2021. That means it’s time to buckle down to the new Fitbits , Garmins and Apple Watches exchanged by relatives in December.
But in recent years, laptop makers have pushed devices far beyond old running meters. “Over the past two years, we’ve deployed a lot more analytical tools, a lot more types of information, [and] we’ve proactively tried to tell people how to interpret their data and how to make it actionable, ”says Eric Friedman, co-founder and CTO of Fitbit.
Friedman joined Fortune Brainstorm, a podcast on how technology is changing our lives, where he spoke FortuneMichal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe on growth opportunities in wearable technology. Friedman says the goal of the launch was to make previously invisible health data and analytics visible to consumers. Google seems to believe the company has achieved that goal and recently made an opening to buy Fitbit for $ 2.1 billion.
Although Friedman believes the field of wearable devices is still at a relatively early stage in terms of what the technology is capable of doing, the use of the devices is becoming mainstream. “The promise is that we are here. We are your seat belt that will stay there for your entire life, from when you are very young to when you are very old, and we adapt with you. The opportunity there, he adds, is to deliver increased value by adapting to the user’s changing life goals.
Also on the show, Dr Abi Fisher, associate professor of physical activity and health at University College London, joined in to talk about people’s health habits during the pandemic. “We have seen a very marked drop in physical activity… 50% before or after the lockdown,” she says.
And Aly Orady, founder and CEO of the Tonal smart home gym system, discussed home training and how his own health crisis led to the creation of the company.
More to read absolutely technological coverage of Fortune:
- Who is Cristiano Amon, The new CEO of Qualcomm?
- Comment: The Facebook antitrust action is a major assault on entrepreneurs
- Vaccinating the world against COVID is getting off to a slow start. These companies think AI and blockchain could help
- Coup attempt on Capitol Hill presents key cyberattack opportunity, warn experts
- 5G will improve this year, promises the executive of Verizon
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