I’m not the biggest tech person. I don’t keep up with the latest tech inventions coming from Silicon Valley and I usually don’t pay attention to tech news unless it relates to an IOS software update.
I’m just the average phone addict who is constantly looking at their notifications and Twitter throughout the day.
While scrolling through twitter, I saw “Google buys fitbit” was trending and for some reason this sparked my interest. I think this sparked my interest for an odd reason, but I’ll get to that.
First, here’s the background information on this Google deal.
Google acquired Fitbit for $2.1 billion dollars. Why? Google hasn’t been successful in their previous attempts to break into the wearable technology lane.
According to CNBC, “in 2011, it changed its tune, making a late entrance and acquiring Motorola for $12.5 billion. However, the company failed to make a scalable business selling mobile devices, and in 2014, sold Motorola to Lenovo for $2.9 billion.”
“The company acquired Nest Labs, known at the time as a smart thermostat company, in 2013 for $3.2 billion…The Nest team faced a struggling product line that included product makeover attempts and team layoffs.”
“In 2018, Google closed a $1.1 billion deal to acquire most of HTC’s smartphone design division. But, Google’s Pixel smartphone has also struggled to capture any market share.”
Google is one of the biggest and most successful companies ever because of their software, but they’re physical inventions don’t stick to the public like they would want them to.
Google is set on building their hardware brand up according to Google’s Senior Vice President Rick Osterloh.
He tweeted “Looking forward to working with @parkjames & the really talented team @fitbit, excited about what we can do together!”
Along with other tweets announcing the newest features that will come with the Google Pixel.
There’s no guarantee that Fitbit will be the wearable device that puts Google on top of the tech hardware world, but the team seems very confident and hopeful.
Aright, let’s get back to that odd feeling I got from this big deal.
We are no stranger to our favorite tech companies using our data for whatever. Data that we unconsciously give them permission to use.
We aren’t strangers to talking about a specific product with our friends on the phone, then moments later an ad for that product pops up on whatever YouTube video you’re watching.
Now, Google will have even more access to how your body reacts throughout the day. From how many steps you take throughout the day, the distance you’ve traveled, calories you’ve burned, and sleeping pattern.
Some may argue that they already have this data, but I would like to argue that them having the data already doesn’t make their future inventions and deals any less creepy.
As a consumer, I feel powerless. I feel these companies know me better than I know myself and I don’t know how to change that.