Microsoft Band 2 Review: An Identity Crisis on Your Wrist

Why, exactly, has Microsoft made another fitness tracker?

If you ask Microsoft why the company is making the Band 2, as I have over the past few weeks, you’ll get a variety of answers. Some will say it’s because Microsoft cares about health. That’s a nice yarn to spin, but it’s not the whole answer. Some will say it’s because last year’s Microsoft Band got a good response, and there were more ideas to incorporate. One executive says wearables are another way to extend Microsoft’s platform for app developers. In other words, if you make Windows 10 apps, you’re going to be able to take your code to any device, including the Microsoft Band, and it will run there (eventually).

But after wearing the newest version of Microsoft Band for the past three weeks, I can’t help but think that the real answer is that Microsoft isn’t in it for the hardware. Instead, my best guess is that it hopes to get people using the Microsoft Health software — and maybe get some other hardware makers to make stuff for its platform. Despite welcome improvements over last year’s Microsoft Band, this new Band sort of baffles me.

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