I'll take a stab at providing a flip side answer to your post. (hint: it's all about personal needs).
I have a Pebble time and it's been fantastic, it's taken an absolute pounding, it's been down filthy drains (my job for a water co) and it lasts a week between charges.
I work in an office. Ruggedness is not an issue for me. (And neither was it on my previous analogue watches which ranged from mid-end "fashion" brands up to low end Swiss). I also wear my Apple Watch Sport to the gym, and after a year it has one scratch on the screen (I'm pretty sure that was from knocking it into a wall).
The week between charges is nice on the Pebble Time. But I take my watches off before bed. So it makes very little difference in day to day life whether it lasts 1 day or 300. They sit on the nightstand whilst I sleep.
I must admit I am intrigued by the sleep tracking apps for smart watches, and this may change my habits.
It has an always on easy to glance at screen, I can see notifications, I can control my tunes, and it tracks my activity and sleep and feeds it back to Apple health, I don't see what else I need on my wrist.
Similar to the really long battery life on the Pebble Time - it would be nice to have an always on screen, but in reality it's not something I miss from my analogue watches. I pretty much always have to move my wrist to check the time/notifications and the screen is on. If the mechanism didn't work or I had a use case where I had to stare at the screen then it would be a 100% required feature.
A few of the things that I do on my Apple Watch that I would miss on the Pebble Time
- I no longer carry my iPhone around the gym. As my Apple Watch can store music locally and play them over Bluetooth and it has apps to log sets/reps of workouts.
- I no longer have to take my wallet/cash or phone when out cycling or running, Apple pay on the watch is like living in the future.
- With Nightstand Mode my Apple Watch is my bedside clock (Pebble Time may have similar now - but it didn't when I looked at the Pebble lineup).
- The heart rate monitor is useful for those that work out (providing more accurate calorie burn info).
- Touchscreen - for interacting with the notifications and complications.
- Force Touch, useful to have the additional interaction method on a small device - can easily clear lots of notifications for example.
- Digital Crown for Time Travel and sliding through screens easily (like checking the weekly weather forecast).
Other more subjective negatives of the pebble Time:
- I think the Pebble Time (inc. Steel) are ugly watches - the Fisher Price bezels, the straps it all feels and looks cheap.
- I dislike the small screen, I own a 42mm Apple Watch the screen on the Pebble Time is smaller than a 38mm Apple Watch.
- I dislike the low res screen on the Pebble Watch, the variety of complications and detailed faces I like on my Apple Watch just wouldn't work as well.
For me a £100-£150 Pebble is a no brainier compared to a £300 Apple Watch which would have broken if I'd have subjected it to half what the Pebble has taken.
Why is the plastic Pebble Time so much stronger in your opinion than an aluminium/stainless steel Apple Watch? What has your Pebble Time been subjected to that would've broken an Apple Watch? Not actually doubting your claim (as I say mine doesn't get too beaten up) - just more intrigued you think the Apple Watch would not hold up to the things that a Pebble Time can.
I've not looked for a while, but the tests on the Apple Watch showed a pretty rugged device on launch:
http://www.macworld.com/article/291...but-comes-out-strong-in-durability-tests.html
If you are all about flashy features and ordering pizza from your wrist then get an Apple Watch but don't bash the Pebble because it's not as flashy as your beloved Apple Watch.
"don't bash the Pebble" straight after lowering Apple Watch owners to those that "are all about flashy features and ordering pizza from your wrist". Hilarious.
