From Xbox to Health, A Brief History of the Microsoft Band (Premium)

On October 29th, late into the evening, the Giants and Royals were in a heated game seven of the World Series. As many baseball fans around the globe were watching this closely fought battle for the title of the best baseball team in the world, Microsoft awkwardly released a new fitness product called the Microsoft Band.
The announcement of Microsoft's first wearable that was designed to help you become a healthier person is a tragic tale of what could have been an excellent product but was undermined by its build quality. While the product, much like Windows Phone, was loved by nearly everyone who used it, the company did just about everything it could to make the release of the device, go poorly.
But before the Band was released, the product started life in the Xbox-org, where it was going to initially be a fitness tracker that paired with the Xbox. The idea was that the device could be a peripheral to the console that would help link the physical and digital worlds. As the product matured in the development cycle, the company realized it had a future as a stand-alone piece of hardware, and should not be tied to a gaming console.
Back in 2014, while still getting my feet wet about how to run an online publication, I convinced Microsoft to let me interview Matt Barlow and Zulfi Alam, who were the public faces behind the development of the Band. Based on the conversation, the Band 1 was just the start of a new Microsoft health push that the company dreamed would dramatically change how each person tracks, monitors, and improves their own personal health.
When the Band 1 was released, the launch went better than expected. Despite being announced during game seven of the World Series, the product sold out quickly. But, that was primarily because the product was available in limited quantities and only in the US; it was nearly impossible to find during the 2014 holiday season.
And the device was packed with sensors, such as a heart rate monitor, accelerometer, GPS, galvanic skin responses sensor, UV sensor, and many more. For its time, the Band was ahead of the class when it came to included technology. And with battery life of about two days, on paper, the Band was a home run.
But that's where things stopped being positive for Microsoft as not long after launch, build quality issues became apparent. For starters, with the Band 1, Microsoft was providing free screen protectors because they knew the display would scratch easily. And for anyone who would wear the device every day, as is expected with a fitness device, the rubber band would quickly breakdown and make it either uncomfortable to wear the device or impossible because the clasps would no longer snap together.
The ergonomics of the first device were always questionable. The flat screen and hard plastics made it uncomfortable for some users to wear while others had no issue with the device. But, despite the awkward announcement time, the limited availability, and the questionable...