Facing some big competition from the Apple Watch, Pebble is planning both new hardware and software
With the Apple Watch scheduled to arrive in April, competitor Pebble isn’t raising the white flag just yet.
In an interview with The Verge, CEO Eric Migicovsky announced that the company has now sold more than 1 million smart watches.
Pebble is planning to introduce both new software and hardware this year. But Migicovsky was generally coy about the upcoming changes:
“We’ve found a new framework to use as an interaction model on the watch,” boasts Migicovsky, before adding that while apps will continue to exist on Pebble, they won’t be the main focus of the platform. “It doesn’t look like what we have today, and it doesn’t look like what’s on your smartphone,” added Migicovsky.
That definitely sounds interesting.
Pebble, which began as a Kickstarter project back in 2012, was the first smart watch that actually caught on with the mass market.
In early 2014, the company introduced the pictured Pebble Steel model, which retails for $199. The original Pebble can be purchased for $99.
The company has also done a nice job courting developers to build apps for the smart watch platform. Some of the high profile partners include ESPN, Evernote, The Weather Channel, and more.
I’ve been wearing a Pebble on and off for almost two years, and have thoroughly enjoyed the technology. But with the Apple Watch looming, I’m glad to see the company is looking to new and exciting directions for its next device.
Since the Apple Watch will start at $349, there is still a substantial amount of room on the lower-end of the market for companies like Pebble to flourish. And a little competition is never a bad thing.
For other news today, see: Bad time for Samsung Mobile and Android-based devices, TripAdvisor acquires startup behind popular automated travel journal app Rove, and China isn’t the only place where Apple is opening new retail stores.