If you're somebody who looks after your health and personal fitness goals, chances are, you wear or have considered wearing a fitness tracking device.
It's one of the fastest growing categories in the tech space, and for good reason.
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Millions of devices in the market are collecting data as each minute goes by; approximately one in three Americans uses a fitness tracking, according to the NIH. And, depending on your preferences, needs, and fashion inclinations, there are plenty out there to choose from.
Apple (AAPL) Watch is one of the most popular on the market, thanks to its ease of use and connectivity into the Apple ecosystem. Users can send and receive emails, iMessages, phone calls and more using their device. Apple has sold over 229 million of them as of June 2023, and it reached 50 million annual sales of the Watch in 2022.
It's popular because it also tracks a bounty of fitness metrics, too. Apple Watch tracks heart rate, step count, calories burned in a workout and some more advanced metrics like sleep quality and VO2 max levels, depending on which style you get.
And Apple has big plans for its Watch and related health ventures. CEO Tim Cook predicts the Apple's health impact will be its "greatest contribution to mankind."
Not to be outdone, Samsung (SSNLF) is anticipated to release its own fitness tracker, the Samsung Galaxy Ring, in summer 2024. Like the Apple Watch, the Galaxy Ring will also connect to its parent company's version of a health app and offer users all sorts of insights into their well being – likely at a similarly premium price.
Oura Ring adds a handy new feature
But the small but mighty Oura Ring, which is not owned by a large tech company but rather a small Finnish company Oura Health, competes with an outsized impact in the fitness wearable segment. The Oura Ring is much smaller than the Apple Watch, which may be appealing to some users who prefer a more understated look and don't need to text during a workout.
Like the Watch, however, Oura offers insightful health tracking metrics and habit learning, including sleep tracking, illness monitoring, heart rate variability (HRV), and activity levels. Its battery also lasts longer and many users claim its metrics are more insightful than Apple's, since it also features some mindfulness and recovery options.
And now, Oura is attempting to pull ahead even further by integrating Strava, an app that allows users to track mileage, recovery, sleep, and other activity right into the Oura app.
"Blend movement with breathwork and meditation to enhance physical performance, recovery time, and mental strength," the two companies shared in an Instagram caption on Thursday.
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Strava promises to bring a “full approach to training” to the Oura user experience, as users can now sync their Strava data with their Oura rings to “tell the full story of an athlete’s performance and improvement.”
Fitness output, recovery data, and other media like images or videos of a workout can now be synced between the Oura and Strava app so users don't have to use competing platforms to log their daily workouts. Strava says the new integration will also offer users a new community feel to their workouts "to sleep, stretch, and move mindfully."
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