Today, Spire announced its new health and fitness product. In the company’s press release, it describes this device that is more than a fitness tracker. In addition to monitoring your daily motion, it also tracks your respiration. Your breathing patterns can indicate whether you are tense, relaxed, or focused at any given point of the day. It collects this data and sends it to the cloud via your smartphone, using a Bluetooth Low Energy wireless connection. The device has a battery that is expected to last for a full week, and you can recharge it wirelessly on its stand or any other Qi wireless charging device.
Initially, the Spire device will only work with iPhones and iPads. The company is starting production and is taking pre-orders for $119, which is a discount from the $149.99 list price.
The fitness tracker market is crowded and is attracting new entrants all the time. Success will depend in part on differentiation, and I expect that this market will follow a similar trajectory as smartphones by becoming an arms race to add features and functions. Tracking respiration in addition to steps is a logical choice, but I will be surprised if it ends here. I expect that if Spire gets any traction with this added feature, we’ll find it in other new fitness trackers before long.
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