Fitbit smartwatch not expected to be star buy

San Francisco

FITBIT Inc, months away from the debut of its smartwatch, has lost several people working on the project and fallen behind on its app store - putting in peril the company's most important product in years.

Hard hit by the sinking popularity of its fitness trackers, Fitbit has bet its future on the smartwatch. But such devices are typically wedded to an ecosystem of compatible devices, apps and services that lure then lock people in. While Fitbit's watch can play music and handle payments, according to people familiar with the product, a discussed partnership with Spotify failed to materialise and technical challenges mean the app store may not be ready when the watch arrives this fall. Many app developers, meanwhile, are unenthusiastic about Fitbit's watch.