The time has come: Withings, startup French manufacturer of health and wellness products that has conquered the world with devices of refined design, simple operation and smart ideas, joins the list of promising manufacturers swallowed by a technology giant in the world.
Yes, yes, we already knew since April last year that the company had been bought by Nokia, but only now has the final blow come: the Finnish has finally completed the transition and, from now on, all Withings products will bear their name, effectively killing the French brand at once.
Within Nokia, the products of the late Withings will form part of a new subdivision of the company, called Nokia Health. In addition, some devices will be discontinued, such as the praised Aura sleep monitor, and others will pause their sales – the praised Withings Stell HR smartwatch will spend a few months off the shelves before returning with the new brand. Along with the change, other new products will be presented; for example, the company has already announced the launch of a new smart scale, called Nokia Body BMI, and a new connected blood pressure monitor, called Nokia BPM +.
To complement these additions, Nokia has already tried to make a good update on the Health Mate application (now, naturally, called Nokia Health Mate). The new version of the app features a renewed interface, as well as eight-week programs to improve a number of aspects of everyday life, such as sleep or cardiac performance, in addition to a pregnancy monitor.
It is good to remember that Apple, one of Withings’ great partners during its lifetime, has already re-sold the company’s accessories in its physical stores and online after a “ban” period after the purchase by Nokia ( the two companies, at the time, were in a thorny legal battle). Now, with the Withings products carrying the Finnish brand in the boxes, it is unlikely that Apple will stop offering the accessories, since all the raids with the manufacturer of the unforgettable N-Gage are already solved.
Finally, only time will tell if the mythical Finnish company has any chance of getting back on the cutting edge with this first wave of new products under its brand – after all, remember, the (praised) Nokia smartphones announced at MWC merely take the their name by license, but are manufactured by the HMD automaker.
It is true that getting back to the top of consumers’ minds when it comes to technology companies will be a basically impossible task, but if Nokia does a good job with Withings products and manages to bring interesting news in other segments, it can see a pretty future pleasant ahead of years and years of questionable decisions.
via MacRumors
