Fitbit Reportedly Close to Acquiring Pebble

[Abazigal]

I kinda liked Pebble, hope they got a good deal.

Seems they got the short end of the stick. From what I read, Pebble is being sold for under $40 million, barely able to cover their debt. It's essentially a fire sale.

Quite a far cry from when Citizen reportedly wanted to acquire them for 740 million in 2015. Or when Intel subsequently offered $70 million.

How the mighty have fallen.

 

[44267547]

Seems they got the short end of the stick. From what I read, Pebble is being sold for under $40 million, barely able to cover their debt. It's essentially a fire sale.

Quite a far cry from when Citizen reportedly wanted to acquire them for 740 million in 2015. Or when Intel subsequently offered $70 million.

How the mighty have fallen.

Appears the sale was confirmed at 40 Million. That said, It's Eric Migicivosky's (CEO) fault. They (Pebble) failed to be revelant. They failed to innovate and move forward with being more than just a notification Watch. In the last year, Pebble was attempting to alter to the health related side, adding a heart rate monitor. To little to late.

Second, and in my opinion was a crucial fail, was they never marketed their product. I would be willing to bet to conduct a survey at a major mall in my area, asking ten random strangers if they have ever heard of Pebble. And I'm willing to say maybe one out of those ten strangers would have some acknowledgement of who they are. And then ask those same ten strangers if they have heard of the Apple Watch, which Likely 80% would concur they are aware of the Apple Watch.

Point is, how is Pebble expected to stay revelant in a category that is completely uncertain with wearable technology, without expanding in marketing their product? The answer is you can't.

Pebble has been around for while and I believe they claim they were the first smart watch on the market. Then they should have the wisdom to understand what it takes to survive (Aside from having the funds to do so).

Pebble had a small following, but I don't feel sorry for them. I'm not saying they made a bad product, I'm saying they became stagnant and failed to be dynamic.

 

[Abazigal]

Appears the sale was confirmed at 40 Million. That said, It's Eric Migicivosky's (CEO) fault. They (Pebble) failed to be revelant. They failed to innovate and move forward with being more than just a notification Watch. In the last year, Pebble was attempting to alter to the health related side, adding a heart rate monitor. To little to late.

Second, and in my opinion was a crucial fail, was they never marketed their product. I would be willing to bet to conduct a survey at a major mall in my area, asking ten random strangers if they have ever heard of Pebble. And I'm willing to say maybe one out of those ten strangers would have some acknowledgement of who they are. And then ask those same ten strangers if they have heard of the Apple Watch, which Likely 80% would concur they are aware of the Apple Watch.

Point is, how is Pebble expected to stay revelant in a category that is completely uncertain with wearable technology, without expanding in marketing their product? The answer is you can't.

Pebble has been around for while and I believe they claim they were the first smart watch on the market. Then they should have the wisdom to understand what it takes to survive (Aside from having the funds to do so).

Pebble had a small following, but I don't feel sorry for them. I'm not saying they made a bad product, I'm saying they became stagnant and failed to be dynamic.

I agree. Marketing may have been one of their pitfalls. I have lost count of how many people see my use my pebble watch and ask me - is that the (then) new Apple Watch?

Apple certainly knows how to get word of their products out there.

 

[honglong1976]

have they actually closed the deal yet?

 

[Cloudane]

Ugh, RIP Pebble The great thing about Pebble is they keep it updated and add new features, so your device evolves over time - this is not a thing Fitbit do. They say "Feature implemented - solution: go buy the new model" (anyone familiar with the idle alert request knows what I mean)

You could argue that's why Fitbit make money and Pebble don't of course, but repeat custom is a thing and I'd already decided not to be a repeat customer of Fitbit when they pulled that.

 

[maflynn]

have they actually closed the deal yet?

No the article states they're closing in on a deal, so nothing official yet

Fitbit is closing in on a deal to acquire smart watchmaker Pebble

 

[Cloudane]

Their Twitter account apparently seemed to hint that it's true... in a tweet that's now deleted... https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/30/fitbit-pebble/

 

[honglong1976]

I think the nail in the coffin was any company who thinks this is a good idea!

https://www.pebble.com/buy-pebble-core

 

[ItsNotaTumor]

I think the nail in the coffin was any company who thinks this is a good idea!

https://www.pebble.com/buy-pebble-core

... what ... is... that...

 

[honglong1976]

... what ... is... that...

You have a phone and a smart watch.

Imagine charging another device? Buying another sim card for that device and carrying it around with you on a keychain. Sounds like a dream, right?

Remember the Pebble watch is at least 30m water resistant? how would you like to carry something extra around that is splash resistant only? What's not to like!

Meet Pebble Core!

Truly! a pointless device! Only 679 backers on kickstarter!

http://help.getpebble.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2439926-pebble-core?b_id=8309

 

[GizmoDVD]

Had a Pebble from day 1 and sold once the Apple watch came out. Before that I had a MetaWatch.

Pebble was by far the worst designed. The steel version was a bit better.

Glad they are gone.

 

[rp2011]

I liked the Pebble for actually looking like a watch

Wow. That's the first time I've heard anyone list looks as the best thing about a Pebble Watch lol

There's a lot to like about the entire Pebble story, and yes the watch design is charming in a cereal package or Happy Meal "toy inside" kind of way, but...

 

[cmaier]

Wow. That's the first time I've heard anyone list looks as the best thing about a Pebble Watch lol

There's a lot to like about the entire Pebble story, and yes the watch design is charming in a cereal package or Happy Meal "toy inside" kind of way, but...

Well, it does look like a watch. A cheap, plasticky, crappy one. But a watch.

 

[keatth]

The pebble steel is a great looking watch.

 

[BlargKing]

Pebble Steel is a good looking watch. Silver or black metal casing and a leather band, fits right in with any decent wristwatch.

Not to mention its actually watch sized. It doesn't look bulky or out of place.

People on here criticizing the design of the Pebble, have you seen the ugly tumor that is the Apple Watch? I mean its great for brand recognition. Theres no mistaking that ugly shape for anything but Apple.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

The Apple watch was out a month after you received the Pebble as a kickstarter purchase? I was wearing my Pebble for over 6 months before the Apple Watch came out, perhaps they served domestically first?

I chose the white option early right at the start. It was finally delivered at the start of August 2013. The Apple Watch was announced at a keynote in September 2014. It wasn't out for a while after but I was talking about the announcement. By the time my Pebble got delivered, it was widely expected that Apple would be announcing their own watch imminently and it would put to shame the Pebble in every way. People were right and it did.

 

[Abazigal]

Looks like if there is a company destined to succeed in the wearables market, it's still Apple.

Same phenomenon again. Tech companies don't get fashion, and fashion companies don't get tech. Only Apple gets both tech and fashion, and is thus uniquely positioned to succeed in this field.

 

[44267547]

Looks like if there is a company destined to succeed in the wearables market, it's still Apple.

Same phenomenon again. Tech companies don't get fashion, and fashion companies don't get tech. Only Apple gets both tech and fashion, and is thus uniquely positioned to succeed in this field.

To your point. When Apple was designing the Apple Watch, aside from implementing functionality, Mark Newson (Fashion/Jewlery designer) actually helped design the Apple Watch. Newson essentially designed what he believed would be more of a contemporary and Modern jewelry piece. Apple didn't want just a "Smart Watch." They wanted fashion and technology corroborating together for the appeal.

 

[44267547]

Had a Pebble from day 1 and sold once the Apple watch came out. Before that I had a MetaWatch.

Pebble was by far the worst designed. The steel version was a bit better.

Glad they are gone.

Pebble quality isn't any where near the quality of Apple. Of course Pebble's price points are much cheaper, but they use cheaper materials and it's not nearly refined as the Apple Watch. But for the price point, it's difficult to complain.

 

[Abazigal]

Lenovo bowing out. Fitbit acquiring Pebble (presumably for the software, so this is probably the last we see of the pebble hardware). Are we eventually going to see another 2-company market in the smartwatch market?

 

[groove-agent]

Wow. That's the first time I've heard anyone list looks as the best thing about a Pebble Watch lol

There's a lot to like about the entire Pebble story, and yes the watch design is charming in a cereal package or Happy Meal "toy inside" kind of way, but...

I didn't say it was the "best thing about a Pebble Watch" at all - you assumed that. Yes I like the fact it looks like a normal watch, but the *best thing* IMO would be the always on feature.

 

[APlotdevice]

Looks like if there is a company destined to succeed in the wearables market, it's still Apple.

Same phenomenon again. Tech companies don't get fashion, and fashion companies don't get tech. Only Apple gets both tech and fashion, and is thus uniquely positioned to succeed in this field.

Except that their attempt to sell an 18k Gold version of the watch at high end fashion boutiques completely flopped. The series 2 seems more focused on outdoor activity than fashion.

 

[Abazigal]

Except that their attempt to sell an 18k Gold version of the watch at high end fashion boutiques completely flopped. The series 2 seems more focused on outdoor activity than fashion.

Well, there's still the ceramic watch at a more sane price level. I have no idea what Apple was smoking with the $15k gold watch, but at least they seemed to have been weaned off it now.

To me, that's the good thing about Apple. Either they don't enter a market at all, or if they do, they will spare no expense at making it a success. Advertising. Continued software upgrades. A complete software overhaul if need be. Which in turn increases the chances of said product actually succeeding in the market.

 

[rp2011]

I didn't say it was the "best thing about a Pebble Watch" at all - you assumed that. Yes I like the fact it looks like a normal watch, but the *best thing* IMO would be the always on feature.

Ok. That's fair.
But I think the "make it look like a normal watch" is a silly argument because it's not a normal watch. You design a product best fitted for the application. Whatever that may be. Case in point round. The tradition watches hand hands than spun in a circular motion. Hence the round shape.

I do think that fashion can also dictate the look of something, and if round makes it easier for some people to accept, then cool. I remember some cars having plastic "wood" or "chrome" scents because some folks wanted that "traditional" feel. I think that is something is done entirely out of urge to meet contemporary ideas as to what "normal" is, it makes the product cheesy or be dated extremely fast. Or it can also be charming ina whimsical toy or disposable way, which is the Pebble.

Where it failed is the Steel or their supposed "higher end" models. Because it lacked that charming or whimsical feel. It was neither high end nor whimsical. It was just tacky.

But fashion is fashion. Some things in fashion defy sense, rhyme or reason. Pebble steel did not do that.