Activity trackers have grown into a fitness guru’s “best friend”, but after a recent study, another wearable option is coming for the title.
Smartwatches are the newest of popular wearable tech among exercise groups. Although the activity tracker still leads in most exercise categories, the gap is narrowing.
So where is the shift beginning?
According to the findings of the study, runners are the first of the exercise groups to show a higher number of smartwatch users rather than activity trackers. Runners who run on a regular basis and wear smartwatches clock in at 22 percent compared to 21 percent of activity tracker users who run regularly.
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“Activity tracker ownership continues to grow rapidly with more than double the smartwatch base,” said President of Connected Intelligence, Eddie Hold. “While we are seeing that some forms of exercise are more likely to be impacted by the smartwatch, there are still a number of consumers that are planning to purchase activity trackers to monitor their fitness. Of folks that report they exercise several times a week, 47 percent are planning to purchase an activity tracker soon.”
Hundreds of products are starting to shift towards sport-focused capabilities. According to the Activity Trackers and Sports Report, one in every four consumers are interested in purchasing wearable technology with active sensor capabilities.
“The activity tracker became the device of choice for the middle-aged consumer looking to get in better shape by starting an exercise routine. But that’s not where the story has to end,” said Hold. “Claims that the smartwatch would lead to the death of the activity tracker have so far proved unfounded. With a longer battery life, activity trackers have a strong target audience and are continuing to evolve. That said, activity tracker companies must continue to broaden their portfolios to satisfy more exercise-focused consumers – combining specialist functions with generalist capabilities.”
When asked how important health and fitness was to the wearer, 17 percent of smartwatch users said it was a passion, compared to 13 percent of activity tracker users. Although activity trackers are high in demand and still lead the fitness tracking industry, there has been some red flags recognized with the technology.
The well-known activity tracking company, Fitbit, has three lawsuits filed against it claiming the products are highly inaccurate. After a study done by California State Polytechnic University Pomona determining the accuracy of both the Fitbit Surge and Fitbit Charge HR concluded, the monitor’s readings were proven to be inaccurate.
Subjects were hooked up to an electrocardiogram monitor (ECG) and wore the Fitbit trackers as well. The readings showed the Fitbit’s recorded bpm was a staggering 19.2 bpm average off the ECG reading. The report stated that “The PurePulse Trackers do not accurately measure a user’s heart rate, particularly during moderate to high intensity exercise, and cannot be used to provide a meaningful estimate of a user’s heart rate.”
Wearable devices are on the rise, but at what cost? Relied upon for its accuracy, Fitbit has shown alleged inconsistency. These findings regarding the activity tracker’s accuracy could have led to its slight decline in popularity and the smartwatch’s upward trend.
The decision is in the hands of the consumer, or should I say on their wrist. As the saying goes, “Time is money,” but you could be wasting the money and time spent fiddling with an activity tracker’s inaccuracies while the window of smartwatch popularity grows.