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>we see Pebble trying to define themselves with something other than just "you have mail!" In fairness with the Pebble Core, we have just that. I love the idea

>we see Pebble trying to define themselves with something other than just "you have mail!" In fairness with the Pebble Core, we have just that. I love the idea and I can't think of anybody that's tried anything like it. A cross between a iPod shuffle, a wireless modem and a keyfob. I really like the concept as a personal area network focus besides my phone. Oh, and as regards "just" being a notifications device - bear in mind Pebble were the first, it's simple, and they're cheap. Three areas the Apple Watch just can't compete on. They've gone all wrong - it wasn't glamour that made Apple - it was solid quality engineering-led product development.

mikestew 10y ago
Oh, I'm trying to be fair, and I see Pebble's branching out as a good thing for them. I just don't see them sticking around otherwise. But I wasn't going to pre-order (oh, sorry, "back") the next Pebble in the hopes that it can match Garmin by September. As I also told my wife, "getting notifications to a Bluetooth-enabled device is a (mostly) solved problem. Getting the fitness aspects right is a much tougher problem". Pebble has shown evidence of figuring things out after a few iterations, so they can pull it off. Yes, Pebble's big selling point is price. But they also show their inexpensive price. My Pebble Time Steel is a scratch and scuff magnet. The bezel is huge. But you get what you pay for, and I still feel the Pebbles are a good value. Hell, the Fenix is a $600 device. Sure, it has sapphire glass and hardy exterior, alitimeter/compass/barometer, but still...$600. I can put the Fenix to good use and get my money out of it (big runner and hiker), but I'm guessing I'm not the mass market. Apple, though, I dunno. Sure, they've sold bazillions of Apple Watches, but I'm not sure where they go from there to justify the price. Ours is an Apple household, but the Watch was never on the radar for us. No GPS in the device was the deal-breaker for me (see: fitness features), because I'm not going to carry a phone while running. Other aspects didn't work for me, but if the Watch were just a bit more money than the Pebble I might have gotten one. But it's a lot more money. Again, maybe I'm outside their intended demographic, and not well-qualified to say what the future holds for Apple's device, but I just didn't see the value.
- ricksplat 10y ago
  Thanks for the info on the steel. Wasn't sure about it but durability is a big red line for me. I just have the original "white" pebble, which is pocketmoney price and arguably one of the nicer ones. I backed it on KS cause it was a new class of device. Same reason I'm backing the core. Disclaimer: I do get exercise but having a fitness tracker isn't a big deal for me and I'm quite happy to bring my phone most places - but am still on the smaller form factor devices.

mikestew 10y ago

Oh, I'm trying to be fair, and I see Pebble's branching out as a good thing for them. I just don't see them sticking around otherwise. But I wasn't going to pre-order (oh, sorry, "back") the next Pebble in the hopes that it can match Garmin by September. As I also told my wife, "getting notifications to a Bluetooth-enabled device is a (mostly) solved problem. Getting the fitness aspects right is a much tougher problem". Pebble has shown evidence of figuring things out after a few iterations, so they can pull it off. Yes, Pebble's big selling point is price. But they also show their inexpensive price. My Pebble Time Steel is a scratch and scuff magnet. The bezel is huge. But you get what you pay for, and I still feel the Pebbles are a good value. Hell, the Fenix is a $600 device. Sure, it has sapphire glass and hardy exterior, alitimeter/compass/barometer, but still...$600. I can put the Fenix to good use and get my money out of it (big runner and hiker), but I'm guessing I'm not the mass market. Apple, though, I dunno. Sure, they've sold bazillions of Apple Watches, but I'm not sure where they go from there to justify the price. Ours is an Apple household, but the Watch was never on the radar for us. No GPS in the device was the deal-breaker for me (see: fitness features), because I'm not going to carry a phone while running. Other aspects didn't work for me, but if the Watch were just a bit more money than the Pebble I might have gotten one. But it's a lot more money. Again, maybe I'm outside their intended demographic, and not well-qualified to say what the future holds for Apple's device, but I just didn't see the value.

ricksplat 10y ago
Thanks for the info on the steel. Wasn't sure about it but durability is a big red line for me. I just have the original "white" pebble, which is pocketmoney price and arguably one of the nicer ones. I backed it on KS cause it was a new class of device. Same reason I'm backing the core. Disclaimer: I do get exercise but having a fitness tracker isn't a big deal for me and I'm quite happy to bring my phone most places - but am still on the smaller form factor devices.