I was thinking of posting the same thing, but was afraid of the mods. One of them always uses "then" when he means "than". The OP's title obviously has both and is really weird.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Pebble > then Apple Watch
- Thread starter JerTheGeek
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I was thinking of posting the same thing, but was afraid of the mods. One of them always uses "then" when he means "than". The OP's title obviously has both and is really weird.
Thanks. I've been more strongly leaning towards it now. I can feel the pull...
But am left wondering if the fenix 2 might be still a better choice somehow for the life I (try) to lead. I think it does all of the vivosmart functions (except lost phone) and adds the ability for mapping and working with other ANT+ devices for bikes and shoe pods and does VO2. Price is a consideration, but if the fenix will do more, it might be worth it.
Thanks...
The Pebble Steel looks really nice but I really want more fitness tracking features in my smart watch and Apple provides that!
I have a pebble. Had it since April and it is getting better with every update. It can now use misfit to track steps and sleep! That said I am more interested in the Fitbit Surge than the 
watch currently. Best social aspect of any activity tracker.
I'm not entirely happy with what the watch is offering compared to what is out there and the price. Hopefully they will add more to it before release, mainly lack of water proofing and gps being the biggest missteps.
I'm even considering on sticking with the Pebble until 2nd gen watch.
The only feature I want that the watch has, is music storage and music playback without a phone. Though the measily rumored 4gb leaves more to be desired.
watch currently. Best social aspect of any activity tracker. I'm not entirely happy with what the
watch is offering compared to what is out there and the price. Hopefully they will add more to it before release, mainly lack of water proofing and gps being the biggest missteps. I'm even considering on sticking with the Pebble until 2nd gen
watch. The only feature I want that the
watch has, is music storage and music playback without a phone. Though the measily rumored 4gb leaves more to be desired.I'm not sure which way to go.
I have Pebble (Kickstarter Edition - I backed it) and love it, BUT I get a lot of (temporary) screen corruption issues and I often have to turn it off and on again for it to pickup the music from my phone. Also sometimes notifications stop working for a while.
I accept it could just be my watch - it is a first edition after all - so I've been thinking of replacing it with the Apple Watch... but I love the battery life, the always-on display, the waterproofness and the ease of use (get in car, 3 presses on the middle button and music plays, and I can skip tracks without taking my eyes off the road). The Apple Watch won't give me that. It will give me other things, granted, but I'm not sure I need those other things.
So, Apple Watch or grab a new Pebble Steel.
Tough call. I need to wait until I can play with it first-hand before I decide.
I have Pebble (Kickstarter Edition - I backed it) and love it, BUT I get a lot of (temporary) screen corruption issues and I often have to turn it off and on again for it to pickup the music from my phone. Also sometimes notifications stop working for a while.
I accept it could just be my watch - it is a first edition after all - so I've been thinking of replacing it with the Apple Watch... but I love the battery life, the always-on display, the waterproofness and the ease of use (get in car, 3 presses on the middle button and music plays, and I can skip tracks without taking my eyes off the road). The Apple Watch won't give me that. It will give me other things, granted, but I'm not sure I need those other things.
So, Apple Watch or grab a new Pebble Steel.
Tough call. I need to wait until I can play with it first-hand before I decide.
Wonder why? When am not looking at it, it is under my sleeves. Unless am wearing a short sleeves which I rarely find myself doing here.
Thanks. I've been more strongly leaning towards it now. I can feel the pull...
But am left wondering if the fenix 2 might be still a better choice somehow for the life I (try) to lead. I think it does all of the vivosmart functions (except lost phone) and adds the ability for mapping and working with other ANT+ devices for bikes and shoe pods and does VO2. Price is a consideration, but if the fenix will do more, it might be worth it.
Thanks...
I've got the fenix v1 and it's not bad - it's come into it's own since the updates to sync BT wise and get notifications.
The vivosmart looks tempting but Garmin do tend to have a history of rather releasing more beta products to the market, and there being a fair period of pain until they are fit to use.
I've had hardware failings with the Up and the Nike fuel band went back after a day because it couldn't hold it's charge. I think for something on 24/7 (or at least that's how they market them), we're still a little way off from robust enough products.
Whilst trying various products above, my fitbit one - must be 2 years old now - still works fine. Nearly lost it down the loo a few times but the design is simple enough there's not much to go wrong...
Yes, I look at Garmin, and can't help but think 'Not again'...
I had a 405CX and it was one of the most frustrating devices ever! The 'touch bezel' sounded like a good idea, but it worked only some of the time. The screens were hard to navigate, and the thing wouldn't synch reliably either. Yet there were people that 'LOVED' it.
Which brings me back to the fenix. I start getting that same old frustrated and confused feeling looking at the screens on it. I don't want to walk down another dark alley with a very expensive piece of 'craptastic-techno-gee-wiz' and have it end up sitting in a drawer until I sell it on ebay or give it to someone I want to piss off. (My Garmin Edge is getting to me lately. They have had some big issues with it. One was it deleted rides because the device wasn't saving them when you turned it off! Um, isn't that why people bought the thing? To record rides? HELLO! (Their answer, until they fixed it, was to leave it on until you got it synched, which it didn't do then either) Now it won't synch with my iPhone, and their Garmin Connect website is a mess IMO. Hard to navigate and so abusive)
The Fuel band is working, so far. It's not perfect, but there doesn't seem to be any 'perfect' band out there. I got sucked into the Nike+ system through running because it was a whole lot easier to use the Nike+ pods and such than trying to figure out the screens on that *&%&^$&*^ Garmin...
I've accumulated hand me downs from friends, though not a fitbit yet. I've got an Up 24 sitting here right now staring at me. I can imagine why people report charging issues with it.
Thanks for replying.
And the attachment isn't working. It was a pic of the 405CX.
View attachment 515435
First off, I want to say that this is not a hate post. I am in no way dissing the
Anyway, I just wanted to highlight some of the pros of the pebble smart watch that make it better for my personal needs right now.
Firstly it has that always on display. I know this isn't a big deal for a lot of people and it wouldn't be that hard to raise my wrist to turn the screen on, but there's just something about the screen being always on that makes it more like a real watch that you can look at any time in any position.
Secondly it is fully waterproof. Again it probably isn't that big of a deal for most people to have to take their watch off in the shower or in the pool or at the beach, but I really like the idea of being able to control my music get notifications and ultimately see the time whenever I am in a wet place. It just makes it more like a watch.
Thirdly the screen is easy to read outside, which I think is an important feature for a smart watch as it is certainly important to be able to read the time and get notifications when you're outside. This is yet another feature that makes it more like a standard watch.
I guess really what I've said here is that I want my smart watch to mainly be a watch, one I can wear and read/use anywhere at anytime. If the next generation of Apple watch is fully waterproof, at least by this I mean able to be used in the shower and the pool and at the beach, then I will definitely be more eager to buy it. Though I'll probably end up getting the
Does anyone agree with me?
Apple products have always been about the experience, and not about specs/features listed on paper. It would be wise to wait until we have some real world usage instead of making decisions based on assumptions.
Update: ended up getting the Watch on day 1 and love it. in terms of features, the Watch is much more advanced than the Pebble.
First off, I want to say that this is not a hate post. I am in no way dissing the
Anyway, I just wanted to highlight some of the pros of the pebble smart watch that make it better for my personal needs right now.
Firstly it has that always on display. I know this isn't a big deal for a lot of people and it wouldn't be that hard to raise my wrist to turn the screen on, but there's just something about the screen being always on that makes it more like a real watch that you can look at any time in any position.
Secondly it is fully waterproof. Again it probably isn't that big of a deal for most people to have to take their watch off in the shower or in the pool or at the beach, but I really like the idea of being able to control my music get notifications and ultimately see the time whenever I am in a wet place. It just makes it more like a watch.
Thirdly the screen is easy to read outside, which I think is an important feature for a smart watch as it is certainly important to be able to read the time and get notifications when you're outside. This is yet another feature that makes it more like a standard watch.
I guess really what I've said here is that I want my smart watch to mainly be a watch, one I can wear and read/use anywhere at anytime. If the next generation of Apple watch is fully waterproof, at least by this I mean able to be used in the shower and the pool and at the beach, then I will definitely be more eager to buy it. Though I'll probably end up getting the
Does anyone agree with me?
I had a Pebble.
- Screen on always = good
- battery long time = good
- waterproof = good
not being able to do anything with a notification other than read and dismiss? - BAD.
If you are still out there somewhere...
I was about to buy the fenix 2, and the fenix 3 was announced. After waiting what seemed like an eternity, I finally got one, and haven't looked back. It has its issues, but so far nothing that I can't stand... They did say that it had a 'find my iPhone' app, but after shipping, denied that it was even ever mentioned as a feature.
It started on 3.4, and is not all the way up to 4.0. It troubles me that I don't know exactly (within reason) what the updates were for.
But, hey, I'm happy. It's supposedly 10 atmospheres water resistant, so pretty durable. Battery lasts a while too.
Still, I find myself drooling a little over the Apple Watch. If only it did Ant+...
The garmin forums are pretty good for telling you what's in any release.
So, I got the vivosmart, for a stupidly silly offer price, and thought it was OK but the size of the band meant I struggled to read the notifications, so sold that plus the fenix and bought a vivoactive, ended up being one of the first in the UK I to get one.
I've still got that but the size of it (I have tiny wrists) was getting uncomfortable, plus still having no actionable notifications, so I ended up getting the apple watch. Since the UK got apple pay a few weeks ago, the watch has really come into its own. The fact I can also accurately dictate short text message responses, set timers, see whether it'll rain in the next hour with dark sky, etc, I've been pretty happy.
I am due to go abroad on holiday soon, and I may leave the apple watch at home, given the VA will last the week and survive the swimming pool - I think there is still room in my life for both!
Pebble
The biggest issue is the battery...
Pebble - almost 7 days
Is it any more easier to remember to charge a watch after an irregular time frame be it 3-7 days than it is to charge it daily? When I go to brush my teeth at night I just put my watch on my charging stand and really don't even think about it. This has always seemed like such a weak nitpicky kind of thing to say is such a huge disadvantage for having a great screen and a watch that does so much. I've never gone into Reserve mode and sometime I wear it beyond 12 hours. If I want to see the time it's so natural now to lift and turn your wrist towards you so the not being on all the time doesn't cut it with me either as a legit reason.
If someone swims or scuba dives I can see the need for a solid waterproof watch, one that is rated for immersion like that.
And IMO it doesn't make sense right now for the OP to buy an AW until he upgrades his phone. He can get by with his phone still on contract and his Pebble which I believe works with his phone anyway. I do think he will enjoy the Watch when he get's it.
Last edited:
I agree with this. I used to think those things were a big deal but now having owned and used the Apple Watch Sport daily I can confidently say that the battery life is awesome and it is definitely easier to charge each night then having it randomly die on you once every 3,4, or 5 days. And the screen turning on as I raise my wrist is excellent, no problems. Just as good as it being always on, except during the rare occasion when I can't raise my wrist, like when I'm carrying something heavy and want to check the time; however this is such a small thing that it's a non issue. I love this Watch, and wouldn't go back to the pebble, or even pebble time, if you paid me a million $$$!
I was reading the first page of the thread when I responded so didn't even realize you had bought one! Glad you like it.
If nothing else, those "reasons" of "battery" and "always on" are just something the "competition" uses to differentiate themselves with right now.
If nothing else, those "reasons" of "battery" and "always on" are just something the "competition" uses to differentiate themselves with right now.
Last edited:
A friend of the wife has a vivoactive, and loves the stuffing out of it. She likes 'ditching' the ability to respond to 'notifications', but that's her...
I still wear a Nike fuelband, because...
I feel like I was the only one around here that ever 'got' the fuelband. I used the Nike+ foot pods, and even became an expert in the carriers for the little pods...
I've had some issues recently with supporting the two bikes I have with the fenix. It supposedly supports 'two bike profiles', but apparently not the same way as the Edge that I had before...
But, once again, if the Apple Watch did Ant+, since I have so much invested in that system, I can't see getting the Apple Watch and having to replace all the 'hamster in the maze' sensors I have.
I really really thought about the vivosmart. It is 'smallish'... The features seemed a good mix, but...
Have you actually seen the Pebble Steel in person? It looks like a claw machine prize from the video arcade. I bought one and returned it 10 minutes later for the regular Pebble watch. The gap in the glass that showed where the glue was applied was just too mediocre for my taste.
I don't like the looks of the Pebble Watch at all. It looks too geek-y in my opinion. But hey, to each their own.
I totally agree with you and I'm not sure what the point of this thread is. Prior to the announcement of the Apple Watch I followed the development of Pebble and had Apple not produced this device I would likely have purchased one. The Pebble Time is appealing but still does not look attractive to me especially compared to my watch. If a Pebble is the right device for the original poster then get one and no one here will care.
We bought an Apple watch because it was the device for us. We have no need to go on some Pebble forum to convince ourselves or anyone else that we made the right choice.
Im the OP, and I have an Apple Watch Sport now and love it. As mentioned in my first post, it wasn't meant at all to hate on the watch. At the time, I thought some of the features on the Pebble made it better in some ways than the Watch; having owned the Watch now since launch, I can now say those things don't matter anymore for me; I like my watch better than the Pebble.
I'm actually glad that Pebble seems to be succeeding. For many people one of theirs would be the perfect device. And I can also see owning both but I know I would just always wear my Apple watch. And that competition only makes things better for us.
I was one of the very early Kickstarters of the Pebble watch. I enjoyed it very much and still wear it at night while my Watch is charging. I even recommend it to people who say they want a smartwatch but can't afford an Watch.
However, it has been left far behind in the dust of also rans when compared to the present Watch, and will fall much further behind this fall when the new watch OS comes out. When the developers start coming out with the non-native apps and have access to things they don't have access to right now it will be Katy-bar-the-door. It will be like the second generation watch has already has arrived.
Watch is charging. I even recommend it to people who say they want a smartwatch but can't afford an Watch. However, it has been left far behind in the dust of also rans when compared to the present
Watch, and will fall much further behind this fall when the new watch OS comes out. When the developers start coming out with the non-native apps and have access to things they don't have access to right now it will be Katy-bar-the-door. It will be like the second generation watch has already has arrived.For someone not totally immersed in the Apple eco system I think devices like the Pebble ones have a place and can be successful. Hopefully they will be. I want competition out there and I don't think everyone in the world needs or should have an Apple product. But they have been ideally suited to the way I live and use such things so I will likely be using them till I go into the ground.
But I want there to be a variety of choices available including many non Apple products. I actually think those Samsung Galaxy Edge phones are better looking than my iPhone 6. I won't be getting one but that is a really nice looking device. And the competition from Samsung, Pebble, etc. will just make my Apple products get better.
I see more to it than just charging each night.. I travel on weekends a lot. I may make two days, but not from Friday morning to Sunday night. If it could just stretch to a few days instead of one (maybe two) then I wouldn't have to take another charger and find another socket to charge it.
The other big factor is the features that are "missing".. I'm sure they looked at adding a GPS - it fits in with so many apps.. maps, fitness, etc - but even if they could shoehorn one into the tiny case, it would drain the battery drastically..
I'm sure they are working on more battery for a bunch of reasons. The feature set still outweighs the battery life for me, so I'll wait patiently for their work to pay off..