Microsoft seems to have thrown in the towel for the Microsoft Band brand. All sales for the fitness tracker have been halted and all references to its Band devices have been removed from the Microsoft Store listing online.
The original band was released on October 29, 2014, with the hope of capitalizing and competing with, the success of the Fitbit. While it sold well during its initial release, the Microsoft Band was often criticized for its clunky and uncomfortable design, a flaw that the Microsoft Band 2 suffered from as well.
Design flaws may not have been the only thing holding the product back, though, as even its competitors have had a multitude of issues, from security problems to rashes. Those occurrences may simply prove that the watch phase is simply a fad and that Microsoft is trying to withdraw before suffering heavy losses.
About two weeks ago, unnamed revealed to zdnet.com that Microsoft admitted to no plans to release Band 3 this year. The site also recently uncovered that dev kits and all references to the Band devices are gone from it’s Microsoft page, while competitors Fitbit and Misfit are still accessible.
While sales and promotion for the product have indeed been halted and have been pulled from most retail, Amazon is still distributing some through its remaining inventory. It will be interesting to see that if Microsoft abandoned the product line, will it continue to produce the software surrounding it.
The recent re-branding of Microsoft’s “Health” app to “Microsoft Brand” could either be poor timing or an indication that the company does indeed intend to continue to produce the software surrounding the product.
With this news in mind, do you think the watch products are simply the latest passing craze? Do you own any watch products? Let us know in the comments section below!
