Eric Migicovsky, the founder of Pebble, has revealed his intention to reintroduce the e-ink smartwatch to the market. Why is he choosing this moment? Migicovsky points out that there’s currently no smartwatch available that aligns with his needs. In his announcement, he cheekily criticized Apple for still not permitting third-party watch faces on the Apple Watch.
Migicovsky emphasizes that he is committed to reviving Pebble watches because no other competitor fulfills the criteria he values, which includes:
- Always-on e-paper display (reflective rather than emissive, readable in sunlight, glanceable, and less distracting to others compared to a bright screen)
- Exceptional battery life (less hassle with charging and fewer cables needed when traveling)
- Clean and elegant user experience focused on essential features he regularly utilizes (time, notifications, music control, alarms, weather, calendar, sleep/step tracking)
- Physical buttons! (for easy music control on his phone without having to look at the screen)
- Customizable (it’s surprising that you can’t even create custom watch faces for the Apple Watch? The Pebble app store had over 16,000 watch faces!)
While the future of Pebble 2.0 in 2025 is uncertain, you have to admire Migicovsky for turning a common complaint about the Apple Watch into a unique selling proposition.
In the realm of watch faces, Pebble is akin to a Kindle, whereas the Apple Watch resembles an iPad. Nonetheless, I genuinely hope the new Pebble becomes a success!
It appears that the forthcoming hardware will closely resemble the original design. Plus, despite Google acquiring Pebble’s intellectual property through Fitbit, the new Pebble is set to operate on its original operating system thanks to Google’s move to open-source it.
Migicovsky has also mentioned that an iOS version of the Cobble app compatible with the smartwatch will soon launch for iPhone. Pebble’s previous legacy app was compatible with iPhone but has since been discontinued.
Before the launch of the Apple Watch, I was a satisfied user of Pebble. I sought a smartwatch that could play music and podcasts, not merely control them, along with Siri voice control and the ability to respond to notifications. Yet, I understand that the smartwatch isn’t positioned to replace smartphones, and having a distinct type of smartphone accessory can be enticing.
Express your interest in the return of Pebble at repebble.com. After saying “pebble” so many times in my head, the word has completely lost its significance. On the subject of sound, the Apple Watch does feature a tone actually named “pebble”…
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