- Garmin Cirqa, Garmin’s long-rumored screenless smart band, is breaking the lid
- Trademark applications have been spotted before governing bodies in the US, Canada and the EU, suggesting an imminent launch.
- Google launched its screenless bracelet with a redesigned AI-powered app, but I hope Garmin doesn’t follow suit
Garmin’s long-rumored screenless smart band, designed to compete with the growing trend of ‘wearable focus devices’ like the Google Fitbit Air and Whoop bands, is on the way. We initially thought it was the Garmin Index sleep tracker (pictured above), but it turned out to be a completely different product.
According to leaks, the screenless fitness band is likely to be called Garmin Cirqa; It’ll be a cool new departure from Garmin’s existing lineup of sports watches, and now we have more evidence that it’ll be launching soon.
Garmin has been filing trademarks for the name ‘CIRQA’ (written in all caps, but we’ll refer to it as Cirqa in the text in the same way we do Whoop, which in its official mark is styled ‘WHOOP’), with an entry in the US Patent and Trademark Office database spotted earlier this year.
However, Gadgets & Wearables has also found trademark applications for relevant governing bodies in Canada and the EU, fueling rumors that a launch may be imminent.
All of the presentations connote a body sensor rather than a communication device, suggesting that Cirqa is not just a new smartwatch: it is exclusively for health and fitness.
This is pretty exciting: Right now, people looking for discreet, screenless wearables have no shortage of options, from the Oura Ring 5 to the Fitbit Air to last year’s Polar Loop band. Clearly, the category and people’s interest are growing, and a high-quality device from Garmin would sell like hot cakes.
However, I hope Garmin doesn’t repeat any aspect of Google’s Fitbit Air launch. At the same time as Fitbit Air came out, Google transformed the Fitbit app into Google Health, removing its latest community features such as badges and sharing challenges, controversially redesigning the app, and turning the Premium tier into a ‘Health Coach’ AI chatbot.
Garmin’s user base would revolt if such dramatic changes were made to the Garmin Connect app. There was widespread outrage last year when Garmin introduced a Premium tier with AI-powered features – the community is passionate and outspoken and loves its technology, and any hint that features are being removed or that the app is being transformed to better fit the AI nature of most screenless trackers would be met with a huge outcry.
Garmin will have to make its Cirqa band work within its existing watch-focused ecosystem, unless it wants to launch a separate app or risk losing some frustrated customers.
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