The current Microsoft Band isn’t even a year old, but it looks like the company is already extensively testing the wearable fitness device’s successor. Nothing specific is known about the device, and these are only rumors to begin with, but the company is reportedly conducting the testing in Europe, which is in stark contrast to the Anglo-centric development of the first Microsoft Band.
Microsoft released its first wearable fitness device not even half a year ago, but it’s reportedly gearing up to release its successor this year, with the device already being widely tested internally. According to a report by WinFuture, Microsoft has progressed quickly on a successor to the Microsoft Band, with prototypes allegedly already being tested in Europe. The report claims Microsoft could announce the device as early as June, though it provides no specific details on the fitness band’s capabilities and cautions that the production schedule may have changed. If Microsoft is testing the Band’s successor in Europe, it would mark a stark departure from its predecessor, which was developed in the U.S. and just launched in the U.K. last month. Unfortunately, no other reports have corroborated WinFuture’s claims in recent months beyond stating that Microsoft is indeed working on a successor to the Band. Earlier this month, Microsoft-focused journalist Paul Thurrott reported that “Microsoft is working on a second Band” but that he didn’t have any knowledge beyond that, for instance.