Pebble launches Smartwatch to Compete with Apple iWatch
Pebble, the watchmaker inspired by kickstarter, has launched its first round smartwatch
Pebble Technology Corp. recently launched its first round smartwatch – the Pebble Time Round, which is especially targeted at females. Time Round, like the rest of Pebble’s smart watch range, comes with an always-on e-paper display which the company says “discreetly camouflages the smarts within” by making it look like a normal watch. The company debuted in 2009, and has marketed smart watches through extremely popular crowdfunding campaigns.
The new watch is claimed to be the thinnest and lightest in the business, coming in at measurements of 7.5mm and 28 grams. The band size for the watch is available with 2 options: 20mm or 14mm. The watch comes in Black, Silver, or a special-edition Rose Gold for the 14mm band size. The watch works both with Android and Apple devices.
Eric Migicovsky, the company’s CEO noted that the smartwatch landscape has changed dramatically since the first Pebble was launched three years ago. Migicovsky said that Google’s smartwatch was not a threat to Pebble sales, while Apple’s smartwatch was targeted to a different kind of buyers. On the other hand, Apple Watch’s popularity benefited Pebble devices, too, because more people learned about smartwatches and wanted to get one. Migicovsky added that the company saw an uptick in sales since Apple Watch was launched.
Unlike previous watches, the Time Round will only last two days. However, charging time is quick, with the company noting that 15 minutes of charging can provide power for the watch to last a full 24 hours. Other features include a microphone for voice actions, a 64-color display with backlight, and splash resistance.
Migicovsky said, “We’re delivering a pretty strong message to the market that says, ‘We’re not really like the Apple Watch’…Apple Watch is building the TAG (Heuer), the Rolexes of smartwatches. We’re solidly building the fun, more colorful, a little bit more focused idea of how smartwatches can help you live your life.”
The watch is on presale starting today for $249 with shipping expected in November. The company faces strong competition from Apple which just released an updated version of its watchOS for the Apple Watch. Samsung also has the Gear S2, which runs the Tizen OS in a round face. Smartphone application development companies in Gurgaon will look to utilize this new era of smartwatches by introducing software made for these watches.
