Time to say goodbye to Fitbit in South Africa
It’s sad news for the fans of the interactive fitness tracker, as it’s time to say goodbye to Fitbit. Here’s why it’s so abrupt.
According to MyBroadband, South Africa will say goodbye to Fitbit. Ironically, this about-face comes just three years after Google’s acquisition of the fitness tracker company. But why the abrupt departure from the country.
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Available in South African since 2014, for fans of the fitness tracker wearables and technology, saying goodbye to Fitbit won’t be easy. The truth is South Africa isn’t alone to say goodbye to Fitbit. We join a host of countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America which Google has stopped supporting with Fitbit.
SAY GOODBYE TO FITBIT
These include Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Slovakia in Europe. And Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines in Asia. Fitbit is also out of Mexico and Latin America, too.
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In 2019, Google announced it would buy Fitbit for $2.1 billion (R31.7 billion). The transaction was only completed in January 2021 following extreme regulatory scrutiny. Now Google’s explanation is it’s aligning its hardware portfolio to that of its Pixel (formerly Nexus) smartphone availability. Anywhere the firm does not sell Pixel smartphones, it does not see a case for Fitbit. That’s South Africa!
WILL HONOUR WARRANTIES
Thankfully Google isn’t being silly about it, as Fitbit did develop a keen following in nearly a decade in South Africa. So, it said will still honour any warranties on existing Fitbit units.
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Are you sad to say goodbye to Fitbit? Were you a fan of the brand? Be sure to share your thoughts with our audience in the comments section below. And don’t forget to follow us @TheSANews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest updates.