Apple is widely expected to make changes to the layout of its Apple Stores to accommodate new Apple Watch display tables as well as offer dedicated spaces where customers will be able to try on different watches (and safes to store them when the stores are closed). It now looks like the changes to the stores are not just affecting layouts. Apple is also removing third party fitness bands from its stores as it readies for the Apple Watch launch on April 24th.
A check of Apple Stores in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles and New York by Re/code earlier this week found that popular fitness bands such as the Jawbone Up, Mio heart rate monitor and Nike+ FuelBand are no longer available. Oddly, the Jawbone UP MOVE Fitness Tracker remains on sale (so far) on Apple Canada’s online store.
The Apple Watch fills a niche in Apple’s lineup that had been previously filled by third party products. Much like these other fitness trackers, it track heart rate, caloric burn rate but it can also remind you to get up and move about if you’ve been sitting too long. It’s really no wonder that Apple is doing everything it can to ensure that the launch is as successful as it can be.
It would not be the first time that Apple has removed third party products from its stores in favour of its own. It stopped carrying Bose headphones last year after it acquired Beats for US$3 billion.
For its part, Apple would only say that “it regularly evaluates and makes changes to its merchandising mix.”
Source : Re/code