We come here not to mourn Pebble, but to...well, actually, mostly mourn. (Image Credit: Anthony... [+]
It wasn't unexpected, but it still stings. Fitbit has acquired Pebble. In a post on their blog and an update to their successful Pebble 2 Kickstarter campaign, Pebble announced that they are "no longer able to operate as an independent entity" and will "no longer manufacture Pebble devices." What does that mean? Unless you've got a Pebble 2 in hand, or on the way (did you order one last week?) what you have on your wrist right now is the last Pebble watch you will own. Pebble Time 2, which had been in the early manufacturing phase along with the Pebble Core, will not be produced. Backers of the wildly successful Kickstarter will receive refunds by next March for the hardware that they didn't yet receive. The Pebble site no longer offers hardware for sale. If you want one, you'll have to find remaining retail stock.
Pebble's demise has been a long time coming. After their second and third Kickstarter, many wondered why they needed to keep going to the public funding well for products that should be built into a healthy company's long-term budgeting forecast. And earlier this year, many said that Pebble was in serious financial trouble. I ignored all that, choosing to instead focus on the shiny hardware and innovative software that the company was producing. After the Pebble 2 Kickstarter, I figured that was that, things would soldier on as they had. This is why I write about technology companies and don't run them.
I still stand by Pebble's approach to wearable tech. There was a reason I chose it over the Apple Watch last holiday season, as their solution was deeply useful without being fussy, a pleasure to operate without being cluttered or flashy. I hope to see Pebble's assets put to good use at Fitbit. Their Blaze Smart Fitness Watch was generally panned when it was released earlier this year; but it targets much the same market as the Pebble 2. If used wisely, Pebble engineers could revitalize the Blaze's software and make it a major player in the wearable market.
That said, what can loyal Pebblers do, now that Pebble is no longer offering support for existing hardware? The official blog post provides a list of community resources for hardware repair and software support. The Kickstarter update additionally mentions Reddit and points to a few trusted third-party accessory manufacturers.
They also mention that, for now, your Pebble will work like normal. It does sound like there will be at least one more software update to reduce or eliminate the software's reliance on cloud services (since those won't be around anymore). Doing this will extend your Pebble's life beyond the company's shut down. Both iOS and Android are stable for the moment, with no big version changes happening in the near future, so there shouldn't be anything to interfere with normal Pebble operation for the next few months. It's not a guarantee; but hopefully it will be enough time for Fitbit to craft a palatable Pebble replacement for that time when Pebblers seek to replace their hardware with an alternative.
I'm sad to see Pebble go - they were the underdog technology company that actually delivered on their promise to innovate and revitalize their market. I always walked away from my chats with Eric Migicovsky impressed at how laser-focused he was on improving the customer experience. There was never a time that we talked that he didn't ask me as many questions as I asked him, about my Pebble, what I liked about it, what didn't work for me, how I was using it. He believed in Pebble and it showed. I look forward to seeing what Fitbit does with Pebble's tech and I'll be keeping an eye out for what Eric is up to next.
