Microsoft pulls Band listings from its Store; admits no Band 3 this year
It's increasingly looking as though Microsoft really does intend to drop its fitness-band line of devices.
The latest evidence: the company has removed all references to its Band devices from its Microsoft Store listing online.
A tipster who asked not to be named showed me a cached version of the Microsoft Online Store listing from Oct. 2, which included Band devices; today, Oct. 3, references to the Band devices are gone from the company's store sites.
(I've also heard anecdotally that Microsoft is removing remaining Band devices from some, if not all, of its brick-and-mortar stores, but I have not verified that myself.)
Update: Microsoft also removed the Band software development kit (SDK) today, which isn't surprising given it's no longer selling Band 2 devices.
Microsoft is believed to have disbanded the software team that was looking to bring Windows 10 to the Band a couple months ago. I've received various tips that at least some of the Band hardware team members have dispersed, too, with some moving to other Microsoft hardware teams inside the company.
Even though sources of mine have said Microsoft is planning to phase out its fitness band devices and has no plans to roll out a Band 3 device any time soon (or likely, ever), company officials still haven't completely conceded that it's the end of the line for Band.
I asked again today and have yet to get an updated statement from the company regarding when and why Band devices were removed from Microsoft's online stores. A spokesperson sent me the following statement:
"We have sold through our existing Band 2 inventory and have no plans to release another Band device this year. We remain committed to supporting our Microsoft Band 2 customers through Microsoft Stores and our customer support channels and will continue to invest in the Microsoft Health platform, which is open to all hardware and apps partners across Windows, iOS, and Android devices."
Microsoft's previous statement to me about the Band's future didn't mention the fact that the company won't roll out a new Band this year, but it did note that the company is continuing to explore the wearables space.
Microsoft recently rechristened its existing Microsoft "Health" apps as "Microsoft Band", possibly to pave the way for new, non-Band-dependent Health apps that work with its Health backend service.
Even though Microsoft could be completely dropping its Band hardware, the accompanying Microsoft Health service is not going away, as the statement above notes. Microsoft's plan, moving forward, is to push Microsoft Health as a service for obtaining health and fitness insights regardless of what type of devices and platforms to which it's connected.