Nokia
So long, Withings. The health and fitness brand will be retired this summer as the team adopts the name of its new owner: Nokia. The company's smart(ish) watches, scales and home security cameras will still be around -- they'll simply have Nokia, rather than Withings written on their exterior. The rebrand is unsurprising, given Nokia's ambitions to move into the health tracking and analytics game. Withings was a $191 million jump-start for its HealthKit-style "WellCare" strategy, which involves consumer-facing fitness tracking and high quality data for medical professionals.
Withings' summer rebrand will include an update to its Health Mate app. The software acts as a focal point for its consumer hardware, tracking and visualising your weight, exercise and blood pressure. Nokia says the app will "undergo a redesign" and offer "an improved user experience," making it easier to connect new devices and share progress with friends. The company is also teasing new "in-depth coaching programs," which will span eight weeks and include personalised health and fitness plans.
At the same time, Nokia will roll out a Patient Care Platform aimed at healthcare professionals. It will allows medical staff to remotely monitor their patients' health and intervene when any worrying signs appear.
The retirement of the Withings brand will, inevitably, disappoint some of its early fans. The Nokia name holds a certain cachet, however. It's been a long time since the company was a cellphone powerhouse -- something HMD Global is trying to rectify -- but the brand still has a sense of quality and trust attached to it (important traits for a health company). Whether that can bolster Withings' sales is unclear, however. The wearables market is in a tough spot right now; Fitbit sales are down, and Pebble was snapped up for just $23 million following its own financial troubles. Nokia has a bigger, broader business, but that doesn't mean its success is guaranteed.
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