Back in March, HTC introduced two new wearable devices: the Grip fitness tracker, and the Vive VR headset. We’ve heard all kinds of good things about the Vive from folks that’ve tried it on, but there’s been nary a peep about the Grip since its debut. That’s changing today, and the news isn’t good for the fitness-focused device.
HTC has revealed that it no longer plans to release the Grip that we saw in March. A spokesperson explained to Engadget that it’s “decided to align Grip with the entire product portfolio for health and fitness launching later this year.” HTC didn’t explain why it made this decision, saying only that it made the choice after “extensive wear testing and user feedback.”
The Grip was made in partnership with athletic brand Under Armour and was meant to show notifications from your phone, track activities, and sync your data with the Under Armour Record platform. It was a part of HTC’s plans to move beyond smartphones and tablets, and judging by the company’s statement today, it has no intentions of abandoning those plans. Now it sounds like we might see an improved version of the Grip later this year, and if HTC feels like its got a better fitness tracker coming, then it may have been wise to put the Grip out to pasture rather than release a product that it wasn’t 100 percent confident about.
