Amazon Faces Price-Fixing Allegations as Smartwatch Market Expands
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Ever wonder why products on Amazon are sometimes cheaper than on other websites? Turns out, it might be because of a widespread price-fixing scheme. According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Amazon allegedly pressured brands to increase the prices for their products on other retailers’ websites so that Amazon would have a more competitive price.
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The VergeOn Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta revealed the evidence of alleged price-fixing by Amazon. The state filed a request to the Supreme Court in February for a preliminary injunction to stop Amazon’s behavior while the lawsuit it originally filed in 2022 proceeds, and is now making that 16-page document available, “largely unredacted.” It lays out how Amazon allegedly schemed to raise other retailers’ prices ahead of Prime Day, or worked with its vendors to make sure items available at a discount elsewhere were suddenly out of stock and unavailable for the lower price.
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Smartwatches, fitness bands, smart rings and even newer form factors like smart shoes are all different ways to collect health and fitness data. They're essentially trying to solve the same problem, just from different angles. And while there's no single "holy grail" wearable that does everything perfectly yet, those various flavors exist for a reason: Each prioritizes a different aspect of health, fitness or daily life.
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ZDNetThere's one way to get accurate health data, and it doesn't involve buying a more advanced smartwatch. Surprisingly, getting better data is as simple as changing how you're wearing your smartwatch.
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The Apple Watch Series 11 is Apple's latest smartwatch, featuring a ton of health-tracking features, fall and crash detection, and up to a 24-hour battery life. And right now at T-Mobile, you can save $300 on one when you add a new watch line to your mobile plan -- getting you our pick for the best Apple Watch with a cellular plan for $199, saving you 60% off the regular price of $499.
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WiredThe Apple Watch Series 11 finally has a battery that can last at least a full day. An actual full day, as in 24 hours, meaning you can wear it while you're at the gym and while you're sleeping. This will allow you to better take advantage of its myriad of tracking capabilities. (As the owner of an Apple Watch Series 8, I often consider upgrading for this reason alone.) Aside from the typical fitness stats and workout tracking, plus the AI-enabled Workout Buddy feature, this watch can monitor for signs of hypertension and track blood oxygen levels. It also has Fall Detection and satellite messaging capabilities (on models with cellular connectivity).
CNETThe loud multitasker vs. the demure overachiever The Apple Watch and Oura Ring track many of the same health metrics, but having a screen allows the Apple Watch to do a lot more (for better or worse). It's essentially a pared-down version of your iPhone (minus the doomscrolling). It can handle notifications, calls, mobile payments, finding your phone and, yes, telling time. It's also one of my favorite workout buddies because I view and use the live metrics to push myself during exercise.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 The Verge Two examples from the document (available in full below) jump out, like this one where Amazon sent Levi’s examples of lower prices on Walmart.com, and a response from Levi’s confirming that “I talked to Walmart and they have partnered with us to… take Easy Khaki Classic fit back up to ladder SPP price, $29.99 immediately.”
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02 ZDNet Red and green are complementary colors, and as your heart pumps blood during exercise, the green light absorbs the red blood. Between heartbeats, blood absorbs less green light, so more green light bounces back into the watch.
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03 Engadget Apple's refusal to provide financial data to an Indian regulatory agency as part of an antitrust case will culminate in a final hearing on May 21, as first reported by Reuters. According to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Apple still hasn't submitted information about its financials and its views on an antitrust investigation that started in October 2024.
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04 CNET I've spent months wearing the Oura Ring and the Apple Watch side by side, and after obsessing about which to choose as my ride or die, I'm finally ready to tackle the existential question: smart ring or smartwatch? And I'm going to answer it in the most diplomatic, thorough way possible because the "right" choice mostly depends on your priorities.
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Sources (6)
- zdnet
- cnet
- gizmodo
- verge
- engadget
- wired