The Microsoft Band Is Dead (zdnet.com)

Microsoft's fitness-band line of devices have not be very well adopted over the years. Last month it was reported that Microsoft will be killing off the Lumia brand in favor of a new Surface Phone brand. Now, it appears the company is discontinuing its Band devices, as it has removed all references to them from its Microsoft Store listing online. Mary Jo Foley writes via ZDNet: A tipster who asked not to be named showed me a cached version of the Microsoft Online Store listing from yesterday, October 2, which included Band devices; today, October 3, references to the Band devices are gone from the company's Store sites. Microsoft also removed the Band software development kit (SDK) today, which isn't surprising given it's no longer selling Band 2 devices. Microsoft is believed to have disbanded the software team that was looking to bring Windows 10 to the Band a couple months ago. I've gotten various tips that at least some of the Band hardware team members have dispersed, too, with some moving to other Microsoft hardware teams inside the company. Even though sources of mine have said Microsoft is planning to phase out its fitness band devices and to have no plans to roll out a Band 3 device any time soon (or likely, ever), company officials still haven't completely conceded that it's the end of the line for Band. I asked again today and have yet to get an updated statement from the company regarding when and why Band devices were removed from Microsoft's online stores. A spokesperson sent me the following statement: "We have sold through our existing Band 2 inventory and have no plans to release another Band device this year. We remain committed to supporting our Microsoft Band 2 customers through Microsoft Stores and our customer support channels and will continue to invest in the Microsoft Health platform, which is open to all hardware and apps partners across Windows, iOS, and Android devices."

Comments

"Fitness bands" are a fad

[DogDude]

"Fitness bands" are a fad, anyway. MS is smart to get out of them sooner rather than later. "Fitness bands" are something that out of shape people use for a week, then toss in a drawer, somewhere, never to be seen again. People who exercise on a regular basis don't need to know heart rate and all of that other silly stuff, unless they're seriously competitive athletes, which is, of course, a tiny market.

Re:"Fitness bands" are a fad

[thegarbz]

People who exercise on a regular basis don't need to know heart rate and all of that other silly stuff, unless they're seriously competitive athletes, which is, of course, a tiny market.

Except people like tracking themselves. Data tracking as a fad has run for the best part of 20 years. I wouldn't discount it early.

As for not needing to track your heartrate, that ignores all of this talk of "fatburning zones" and "cardio zones" and all this other wonderful stuff researchers are selling us. Before declaring the one device to monitor the "zone" dead you need to invalidate the concept, which doesn't appear to be happening right now.

Re:Excellent sensor package, terrible design...

[jezwel]

And I was just started to getting interested about the device family! Apparently MS has too little patience for the consumer electronics market, or I'm too slow a potential customer.

They've stuck it out with the XBox, but otherwise seem to be abandoning whole areas where they have little market share:
* music players (understandable with mobile phones on the rise)
* mobile phones - declining
* wearables - out

IMO the mobile & PAN devices such as wearable will continue to grow and become more complex. Microsoft abandoning these is a strange decision.