Nike just did it; they chose to partner with Apple and now their popular FuelBand fitness tracker will only talk to iProducts. Now comes word through the Korean Yonhap News Agency that Samsung may be looking to pick Under Armour for their team in the Health Tech consumer market. According to Yonhap, Lee Jay-yong of Samsung recently met with Under Armour founder and CEO Kelvin Plank. And Lee was also reported as wearing an Under Armour shirt at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Idaho.
It makes sense that Samsung would look for a big friend in the fitness wearables market. The company released its own fitness tracker last year: the Armour39. This is a system that includes a chest strap and a watch that tracks heart rate, calories burned, and exercise intensity. It relies on a Bluetooth connection, and can also connect with a variety of smartphones and other devices.
Under Armour started with t-shirts and has expanded to be a leader in exercise apparel and related gear. The company had $642 million in revenues for the first quarter of 2014. This could provide a strong brand for Samsung to partner with in the fitness market, and help give Samsung instant credibility.
