Nike reduces the wing on its connected bracelets

At the time everyone spends more and more time to monitor their health and well-being, Nike's decision to trim its dedicated teams FuelBand , bracelet connected (smart band) , has surprising. The information was initially provided by the site Cnet , which evokes massive layoffs in the division dedicated to the darling object of athletes and phobic of inactivity.

The firm has denied wanting to stop marketing the bracelet, but said his efforts would turn more towards the application related to smart band . The trade press has drawn the conclusion that no new version of FuelBand would be placed on the market . And point to some technical weaknesses of it , Nike is still a beginner in the field of data collection and analysis. Expensive to develop and not so easy to sell because of its price ( over a hundred euros ), the FuelBand will better meet the requirements of users in a highly competitive environment . Hence the decision to Nike to focus its development efforts on the software part associated with the bracelet.

Mark Parker , CEO of Nike , interviewed on CNBC , guaranteed that its partnership with Apple, the software part , continued . Apple is its highly anticipated side in this segment : the name " iWatch " was introduced there several months , and speculation is rife about the possibilities of a connected health shows Apple.

According to figures published by the research firm Canalys , the demand for smart bands is expected to reach 17 million units in 2017. The Fitbit dominates the market for basic bracelets, followed by the Jawbone Up . Nike comes in third position. As for bands smart "smart" Samsung is the leader with his bracelet Gear. In France , the historical manufacturer of scales, Terraillon , will launch on the market in May with the Activit Band bracelet, also coupled to an application

Competition is fierce among the various portable devices : most of the objects provides a measure of physical activity ( usually in "points" , each brand has its own system, it is not necessarily obvious to them trace ) , and a calorie counting. The reliability of this type of measurement is medically questionable , and several studies have highlighted significant distortions between the same action on several different dipositifs .