AppleInsider Staff
Apple has phased out fitness bands like Nike's FuelBand and Jawbone's UP from its retail store offerings as the company prepares to enter the wearables market with Apple Watch.
As of Wednesday, the Online Apple Store and physical Apple Store locations have pared down their fitness device offerings to products not in competition with the upcoming Apple Watch. Previously, Apple sold a wide variety of fitness trackers, including devices from Fitbit, Nike, Jawbone, Wahoo and more, but those products have lost shelf space over the past year.
The move comes a little over one month before Apple's first foray into wearables debuts with its own fitness tracking capabilities. Re/code reported the change earlier today.
AppleInsider confirmed that both Nike and Jawbone products have been taken down from the Online Apple Store and are no longer available at multiple brick-and-mortar Apple Store locations across the U.S. A store representative said no band-like fitness devices are for sale, with the closest model being Jawbone's clip-on UP Move, though Apple's online storefront does show current availability of the $199 MIO Alpha Heart Rate Monitor Watch.
Other fitness trackers still for sale include Wahoo's TICKR around-the-body heart rate monitor and a similar offering from Polar.
According to Re/code, MIO CEO Liz Dickinson said Apple notified her of an impending Apple Store removal months ago. It is unclear if the smart fitness watch will ultimately share the same fate as similar devices from Jawbone, Nike and Fitbit.
Apple Watch starts at $349 for the 38mm Apple Watch Sport, while the stainless steel Apple Watch is priced from $549. The high-end solid gold Apple Edition, meanwhile, starts at $10,000.
Preorders and in-store previews start on April 10, with shipments set to begin on April 24.
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33 Comments
[Quote]Apple removes Nike FuelBand, Jawbone UP from stores ahead of Apple Watch debut[/quote] Because the $50 & $130 items will stop people from spending $350 for an Apple Watch?
Funnily enough, I have a JawboneUP, and it made me want an ?Watch even more, simply because the UP doesn't tell time.
You're right, Apple should also sell $300 PC notebooks and $50 tablets in it's store, I mean, those won't stop people from paying $1500 for a Macbook and $500 for an iPad, right?
Apple has the right to sell or not sell whatever it wants in it's stores. I would do the same thing in their shoes, why sell stuff that potentially competes with your offering, even if cheaper? Just creates more noise for the consumer. These things can be sold in a million other places.
Since when does Apple have to sell competing products in its stores?
Generally, the only non-Apple things sold in Apple Stores are items people want/need when purchasing an Apple product. That's why they sell external drives, non-Apple software, and specialized hardware people can take home with them right away. As others have said, the Apple Store isn't a Best Buy or Target, they get to choose which extra items they feel would be useful (and don't compete with Apple products).