'Pebble Time' Kickstarter Gained Momentum Following Apple Watch Event

The record-breaking Kickstarter for the new Pebble Time smartwatch gained some momentum off of Apple's "Spring Forward" event last week, reported TechCrunch over the weekend.

The crowd-funding campaign brought in on average $6,000 per hour the Sunday before the big Apple Watch event, a statistic which rose to $10,000 per hour as the event happened on Monday, March 9 and leveled off at $16,000 per hour on March 10.

Pebble Time
Speaking on the matter, Pebble CEO and founder Eric Migicovsky said the Apple Watch event doubled the rate of contribution to the Pebble Time Kickstarter, but as TechCrunch pointed out, it was closer to nearly tripling the campaign's hourly rate.

Apple's entry into the smartwatch market no doubt sparked interest in users interested in a wearable device, but perhaps looking for a cheaper alternative, with the ability to connect with Android phones or have a longer-lasting battery life. That train of thought appears to be unsurprising to Migicovsky and the Pebble team, who expected a boost coming off of the Apple Watch event.

“Apple’s event this week caused a nice spike in support for us, as anticipated,” Migicovsky told TechCrunch. “When the biggest company in the world enters your market, that’s the kind of validation you can only dream of. Ultimately the more awareness for smartwatches, and the more choice for consumers, the better for everyone. 2015 is going to be an extraordinarily exciting year.”

The Pebble Time Kickstarter began on February 24, and reached its goal of $500,000 in just under twenty minutes, allowing the company to introduce a more formal option in the Pebble Time Steel one week later. The campaign currently has about 72,000 backers with just over $18.5 million pledged and eleven days to go until its completion.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...

Top Rated Comments

avanpelt Avatar
141 months ago
Why is Pebble still using Kickstarter? Don't they have R&D as part of their normal operating budget? Are they having difficulties finding traditional investors? While the money they've been pledged so far is admirable, it seems odd to me that they're still using crowdfunding at this point.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
141 months ago
What is the price point of this product?

If I divide donations by funders, I get a hair over 250$.

If this is the price, it would seem that this product is overpriced for anything outside the Android market. For someone already possessing a compatable iPhone, why not spend 100$ more and get the refined package and richer feature set of the Watch?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rob25255 Avatar
141 months ago
I actually get a lot of use from my pebble but despite the naysayers am going to preorder the  watch. Here's my thoughts http://bit.ly/1LbxaXp (http://opinion8td.com/2015/03/14/convenience/)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
enigmatut Avatar
141 months ago
price-points

What is the price point of this product?

If I divide donations by funders, I get a hair over 250$.

If this is the price, it would seem that this product is overpriced for anything outside the Android market. For someone already possessing a compatable iPhone, why not spend 100$ more and get the refined package and richer feature set of the Watch?

As noted on the Kickstarter page, the Pebble Time retail price will be $199 and the Pebble Time Steel will be $299 (after the campaign). The original Pebble is now $99 and the original Pebble Steel is $199, fwiw.
So, the "top" new Pebble is 50 bucks less than the entry-level aluminum :apple:Watch, but with the Pebble Time Steel you get 10-day battery and cross-platform compatibility. Various blogs have already discussed the pros and cons between the two, and it really just boils down to preference and to which features you give weight. I prefer longer battery and always-on, which all Pebbles have, so I'm keeping my original Pebble Steel and adding a Pebble Time.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kissaragi Avatar
141 months ago
Why is Pebble still using Kickstarter? Don't they have R&D as part of their normal operating budget? Are they having difficulties finding traditional investors? While the money they've been pledged so far is admirable, it seems odd to me that they're still using crowdfunding at this point.

Yes its a pretty disgusting abuse of the kickstarter idea in my opinion. They are using it for advertising and to line their pockets.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GizmoDVD Avatar
141 months ago
Why is Pebble still using Kickstarter? Don't they have R&D as part of their normal operating budget? Are they having difficulties finding traditional investors? While the money they've been pledged so far is admirable, it seems odd to me that they're still using crowdfunding at this point.

Its the start of KS demise. It should be for people who need funding - not a company which already (apparently) has the watches close to ready to go and just wants cash early.

If Pebble was launching a totally new product line I could kinda see a KS. But this is simply Version 2.0.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)