Stefan Mileschin

Half the price of the iWatch with a battery that lasts for days

Fitbit launched its latest smartwatch, Versa 2, adding Amazon. voice assistant Alexa, online payments and music storage in a bid to compete strongly with Apple.

Pre-orders for Versa 2, which is priced at $200, will start later in the day, the company said, adding that the smartwatch would be available in stores on 15 September.

Fitbit last month cut its 2019 revenue forecast, blaming disappointing sales of Versa Lite smartwatches, a cheaper version that lacked features such as the ability to store music.

Chief Executive Officer James Park told analysts earlier this month that while Versa Lite received good consumer reviews, consumers were willing to pay more for a smartwatch with additional features.

The company separately launched Fitbit Premium, which will give its users personalized coaching including health reports, workouts and sleep features at a cost of $9.99 per month, beginning September.

Fitbit provides five days of battery life on an average against Apple’s watches that only have a day of battery life and forgets sleep data as it is charged overnight.

Last week, it signed a contract with the Singapore government to provide fitness trackers and services in a health programme it said could reach up to a million users.

https://fudzilla.com/news/49298-fitbit-launches-versa-2