Pebble Smartwatch Makes a Comeback: An Open Source Revival
Eight years after the collapse of both Pebble and its parent company, the smartwatch brand is making a remarkable return. At the end of last month, it was announced that Pebble is reviving its hardware.
Pebble’s Genesis and Fall
Pebble burst onto the wearables scene in 2012, releasing its first smartwatch. This innovation preceded the widely acclaimed Apple Watch by two years. However, the company faced financial difficulties after refusing a $740 million acquisition offer from Citizen in 2015. The following year, Fitbit acquired Pebble for a considerably lower sum of $23 million.
Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s founder, provided interviews and wrote extensively on the reasons for the company’s downfall. Despite its untimely exit, the legacy of Pebble significantly shaped the wearables market.
The Impact of Pebble’s Demise
Although Pebble’s closure didn’t extinguish the wearables market, it certainly reshaped it. The Apple Watch dominated the market by focusing heavily on health and fitness applications. This approach has led to its current market leadership.
Google’s Inheritance and the Open Source Initiative
Google’s acquisition of Fitbit in January 2021 brought Pebble’s intellectual property under its umbrella. Last week, migicovsky announced the return of Pebble alongside Google’s open source release of PebbleOS. This open-source move reflects the complex internal dynamics of Google and signifies a major push behind the rebooted Pebble.
The revived Pebble smartwatch might closely resemble the original model but with open-source software that users can customize and enhance. Detailed hardware specifics are yet to be disclosed, but the project is anticipated to be an incremental improvement rather than a revolutionary leap.
Pebble’s Distinctive Features
The electronic paper display of the Pebble stood out, allowing users to check the time frequently without worrying about battery life. Unlike most modern smartwatches with OLED screens, Pebble’s battery required charging only once a week, making it more convenient.
Pebble’s unique selling point also included its highly hackable nature. Users could develop new watch faces and applications easily, which spurned a vibrant developer community. The smartstrap feature introduced via Kickstarter promised additional innovation but failed to ignite developer interest.
The Founder’s Approach to Revival
Eric Migicovsky aims to keep the new venture small and sustainable, focusing on continuous production without seeking major investments. His vision is to maintain the charm of the original Pebble while enabling community-driven enhancements.
The revived watch is set to use the newly open-sourced PebbleOS, ensuring backward compatibility with existing Pebble applications and watch faces. Developers are already contributing, with the OS functional on new Nordic nRF52840-based hardware.
The Rebble Discord serves as the primary platform for community organization, facilitating discussions in dedicated channels: #firmware-dev, #mobile-app, and #app-dev. The Rebble team has also organized a hackathon to further nurture this enthusiasm.
The Timing of the Revival
Migicovsky’s assertion that the new Pebble will bear similar specifications to the original, along with the newly introduced open-source OS, suggests a focus on user-familiarity and customization potential. However, the precise timing of this announcement and the community’s reaction hint at broader industry trends and challenges.
Recent attempts to create smartwatches have struggled. For instance, the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin failed to capture user interest due to unclear functionality or technical issues. These missteps, coupled with Google Glass’s user rejection, highlight the difficulties in launching wearable tech innovations.
A Brotherhood of Developers
The excitement surrounding the Pebble revival is palpable, especially among developers and tech enthusiasts. Many have fond memories of the original Pebble and see this as a return to its roots and values.
During its time, Pebble showcased its potential with the Pebble Core, a wearable device with Alexa integration developed as part of its final Kickstarter in 2016. Although this project didn’t reach production due to Pebble’s acquisition by Fitbit, its conceptual success hints at the possible trajectory of the new Pebble.
The Future of Hardware and Wearables
The reduced costs and technological advancements in hardware production have democratized the space, enabling startups to finance and develop physical products more easily. The transition from software to hardware businesses is increasingly smoother due to leaner operational demands.
The hardware renaissance, exemplified by the Pebble revival, underscores the enduring appeal of distinct, functional, and community-driven designs. As Migicovsky leads his new venture, Core Devices, the world watches with anticipation to see whether Pebble’s return serves as a mere reintroduction, a reinvention, or the next disruptor in mobile computing.
The Pebble Core, a vision from the past that could reshape the future of wearables (📷: Pebble)
Engage with the Pebble Revival
For those who are passionate about smartwatches or have fond memories of Pebble, the opportunity to contribute to its open-source initiative is significant. Whether you are an app developer, a firmware enthusiast, or simply a tech lover, the Pebble community welcomes your involvement.
Explore the Rebble.io repository and the Core Devices repos on GitHub to get started. Join the conversations on the Rebble Discord and participate in the upcoming hackathon. Together, let’s see how this inventive project evolves.
Will the Pebble smartwatch comeback redefine the wearables market once again? Let’s find out together. Your insights and contributions could be pivotal in this journey.
PebbleOS running on new nRF52840-based hardware (📷: Eric Migicovsky)
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