Jawbone UP24, Nike FuelBand bounced from Apple Stores to make way for Apple Watch

Numerous Apple Stores on both coasts have removed Nike FuelBand and Jawbone UP24 fitness wearables from their shelves, presumably to focus attention on the Apple Watch, which arrives April 24.

Re/code called Apple Stores in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and New York and found the stores were no longer stocking the Jawbone UP24 and the Nike+ FuelBand.

Not surprisingly Apple doesn’t want to waste shelf space selling products that compete with its own. The Apple Watch contains both fitness-oriented biometrics sensors and software for tracking runs and other workouts.

Apple already booted Fitbit devices from its stores last fall. It appeared at the time that the reason for the ouster was that Fitbit refused to integrate with Apple’s HealthKit device integration platform. But it now looks like the move was inevitable.

As for Nike, many believe that an agreement between Nike and Apple was struck long ago wherein Nike would exit the fitness tracker hardware business and focus on the software only. Nike was one of Apple’s original partners in the Apple Watch, receiving key placement of its app on the device’s interface.