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Is the Sense a "half-baked" Device?

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‎10-12-2020 16:25

‎10-12-2020 16:25

As I see more and more problems here about the Sense, I realize the Sense was a device that was totally ill-conceived or just released very prematurely. I'm just wondering if Fitbit has realized, or been willing to admit this yet. There's WAY too many issues with it!

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10 REPLIES 10

‎10-12-2020 18:18

‎10-12-2020 18:18

I returned mine today. The product felt like a beta product and the heart rate and performance was a issue for me. I can't wait for the update, I need it now! There's a other part of the forum comparing his ionic and sense exercise tracking. It is hilarious, it was way off!

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‎10-12-2020 19:43

‎10-12-2020 19:43

@WehuttyWankerI don't thing the device itself is the problem, it's the new OS and that will probably get sorted out over time. Fitbit is not alone in these woes: you only have to look at the Garmin forums to see similar wailing and gnashing of teeth when a new device is released. And Apple isn't immune: remember the iPhone 4 which wouldn't work properly as a phone if you held it with a bare hand?

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‎10-13-2020 01:37 - edited ‎10-13-2020 01:55

‎10-13-2020 01:37 - edited ‎10-13-2020 01:55

@WehuttyWanker  I really hope they're going to fix this because as you said, we all got hyped by the marketing of Fit-bit Sense. Sometimes they re-name their technology (Pure Pulse 2) just by adding 2% improvement to the oldest technology. This way one thinks that there has been a major change in technology and how they measure heart rate.

In this case they added one more LED-light to catch more of the pulse in case your vain lies nearby the second led-light. It's not revolutionary and they could have employed this idea years ago. But there are smart people inside every company and they had it planned for future products to maximize profits. I wouldn't be surprised if they added a third LED-light and assumed that they "trapped" your heat rate and can give you a better feedback, calling the new technology "HR Triangle Trap 3.0".

Lame, if you ask me.

Now, if they don't improve the new sense fast enough, people won't be able to return their tracker in time for a refund.

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‎10-13-2020 01:42 - edited ‎10-13-2020 01:43

In response to David_J

‎10-13-2020 01:42 - edited ‎10-13-2020 01:43

@David_J is right about unfinished software. This however isn't an excuse and the company must account for returns when delivering such product into the market. Lots of companies do that now because they are able to push updates and fixes easily to the devices. Should users expect better? Yes. Should they wait before buying? Definitely. Other companies are to blame as well. When I bought the Suunto watch I unpacked it while sitting in the coffee shop. Suunto watches don't support OTA update (it may be different now for S-series and Suunto 7, but my Spartan never supported that) so after launching I saw a horror - stock firmware which had literally nothing. The first thing I wanted to test was connecting to the external HR monitor and it was just not there. On the sports watch, it's basic functionality. If I bought it on the release day I would return it right away. When I got access to the PC, I updated firmware and suddenly it's like a different watch. All features I bought it for were there. At this time, this particular model was a year in the market. Quite the same when I got the Garmin watch - already a couple of months in the market. No rush. Lesson - don't rush and buy newly released hardware unless you are very patient and can wait for bug fixes and promised features. We may be complaining about companies releasing unfinished products but it won't change until people will be pre-ordering and buying them on the release day.

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‎10-13-2020 01:50

In response to t.parker

‎10-13-2020 01:50

@t.parkerI agree. Especially considering the fact that there were literally no pre-order benefits with Fit Bit Sense. The only pre-order benefit was that Fit Bit used its own customers for beta testing. To be honest I would be ashamed to present an unfinished assignment/presentation/exam/job interview. Because this mistake would be fatal.

Fit Bit can escape this embarrassment with finesse.

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‎10-13-2020 02:18

In response to SunsetRunner

‎10-13-2020 02:18

@SunsetRunner most of the companies can. The thing is, the preorder strategy uses users who can't wait, and usually, they are devoted brand-loyal customers who can tolerate a lot more. The complaints here come probably from a tiny fraction of users but the majority of long-term customers will trust that things will change for the better. Moreover, the high price of the product triggers a mechanism of justifying the purchase rather than going through the process of returning it - even if you're not happy with it, you will convince yourself that you are because you paid a lot of money. I used to work in the video games industry that relies heavily on pre-orders and nowadays also on buying "early-access" (seriously, buying access to the unfinished product without any guarantee it will ever be finished!), and if this strategy wouldn't work nobody would be doing it. People pre-order video games months before release (sometimes years, depends on the game). There must be two sides agreeing to the business. Frankly, companies would be dumb if they wouldn't make use out of it. Fitbit, Garmin, or Polar - they are not about making customers happy. They are about to make money and survive among tough competition.

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‎10-13-2020 06:48

In response to t.parker

‎10-13-2020 06:48

@t.parker wrote:

@SunsetRunnerMoreover, the high price of the product triggers a mechanism of justifying the purchase rather than going through the process of returning it - even if you're not happy with it, you will convince yourself that you are because you paid a lot of money.


So true ! That explains everything. It's so fundamental how people think in such situations. I knew there are psychologists working there.
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‎10-13-2020 07:22 - edited ‎10-13-2020 07:24

‎10-13-2020 07:22 - edited ‎10-13-2020 07:24

Sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, EDA scan app, SpO2, breathing app, ECG, Alexa & all other features are working flawlessly for me. 

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‎10-13-2020 09:14

In response to forthewatch

‎10-13-2020 09:14

No issues here.  Excellent product that will get better with time.

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‎10-13-2020 11:44

‎10-13-2020 11:44

no issues here. working great and I am happy that I have a device with arguably the most advanced sensors available. I know the s/w will get better. Very happy with the detailed sleep stats (o2, breathing, heart rate, temperature) and I am comfortable that fitbit is going to ensure we have accurate, relevant data (even if it means just having one O2 number for the whole night .. I am completely fine with that and will see the trend which is what will tell me whether something's wrong). If they can do instant O2, great. if a wrist-based instant reading isn't accurate, fine and if I really wanted to know, I'd use a finger clip, which this isn't, it's a wrist-based device.

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