In a story published by Mashable, a Fitbit representitive’s post on a company user forum stated that “We do not currently have plans to integrate with HealthKit.” Mashable also posted an update to the story with an official statement from Fitbit that clarified (?) the company’s position: it is “evaluating integration with HealthKit as more of its features and benefits are revealed.”
The strong inference is that Fitbit is not going to be jumping on board the HealthKit bandwagon any time soon. This can’t be good news for Apple, as Fitbit reportedly is the world leader in the fitness band market. Pushing its HealthKit platform could be an uphill battle for Apple, as the company does not have a solid reputation in the corporate and medical settings. Its strong position as a trendy consumer brand does not translate directly to confidence in its ability to succeed in the highly-regulated worlds of the FDA and HIPAA compliance.
Clearly, we’re in a Wild West stage of wearable Health Tech devices, with applications and products appearing like mushrooms after a summer rain. We will need solid platforms for data sharing, analysis, and reporting, but keeping user information accurate, secure, and private will be of paramount importance. Ultimately, there will likely be a single standard that will allow this data to move freely yet safely form device to doctor and user. This apparent hesitance on the part of Fitbit might be one more signal that Apple’s HealthKit will not be that platform.
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