Pebble Founder Eric Migicovsky Shares His Insights About the Collapse of their First Smartwatch

Pebble brand marked Monday, Apr. 11 as the 10th anniversary of its Kickstarter debut.

However, instead of sharing success with this smartwatch, company founder Eric Migicovsky shared his thoughts on why the startup failed to snag a bigger market a few years ago.

Pebble on its Smartwatch Business Track

When you hear the word "smartwatch," the first thing that comes into your mind is the Apple Watch. Having a reputable position in the market, the Cupertino giant has established a big name in the smartwatch industry over the past years.

However, people tend to forget that the competition is not just all about Apple or Samsung. Another darkhorse manufacturer was making waves back then. Pebble was a brand that you might have heard of before, especially because of the first Pebble wearable that made its way to the market in 2013.

Just a few years later after its release, the company, unfortunately, could not cope with the changes. The position of the smartwatch had collapsed and met its untimely demise, founder Eric Migicovsky shared, Android Police reported on Wednesday, Apr. 13.

Migicosky initially took a look back on the early days when Pebble was created in 2008. Together with his colleagues, they managed to release the Kickstarter watch in 2012. A year later, the startup began shipping it to its customers.

The Pebble founder knew that what happened was a disaster for the company. On top of that, he recognized that there were a lot of bad decisions made during that time.

Although the startup aimed to expand its market scope, it did not turn out well as expected by the team. Migicosky called it the "geek core" of their first Kickstarter launch.

According to him, the product was created to bring more productivity and efficiency to the users. It also features a wide range of capabilities including weather monitoring, sports, a calendar, and more.

"We figured this would give us competitive differentiation from sports-focused wearables and be useful for a broader set of users. While this software was certainly useful and made sense in the context of a watch, it was exceedingly difficult to explain why customers should care," Migicovsky said.

Related Article: Pebble Is No More: Here Are Some Smartwatch Alternatives To Consider Instead

When Doubt Interferes Pebble's Goal

In another report by 9to5Google earlier this week, there was a time when Migicovsky was doubtful to enter the wearable industry. According to him, the startup was not intended to create health-focused smartwatches.

Surprisingly, several companies have stepped up in their ideas when it comes to producing worthwhile products. That's the time when Apple Watch and Fitbit took advantage of this period.

Sometime around 2015, these companies successfully released their smartwatches which offer fitness features. Surprisingly, they garnered huge success upon their product launch.

Migicovsky acknowledged the issue and mentioned that they "eventually" got there on the scene with Pebble 2 and Pebble Core. However, it was too late for them to offer such a product.

Furthermore, the founder wished that Pebble was not on the annual consumer electronics release cycle at that time. He added that the company could have laid out subscription plans for their product that could be marketed and sold every year.

Pebble could have been great if it just prioritized its long-term plans for its products. As for the tech firms who wish to start conceptualizing what to sell, it's always important to consider the demand of the consumers and the follow-up improvements that should be added.

Read Also: FitBit Ionic Smartwatches Pose Dangers to Users Following Overheating Incidents [Report]

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Written by Joseph Henry