Pebble CEO and founder Eric Migicovsky took to the company's blog yesterday to personally confirm its imminent closure, following media reports earlier on Wednesday that Fitbit has acquired its technology, software assets, and other intellectual property.

Pebble

Dear Pebblers,

Thank you all for being such loyal supporters and champions of the Pebble community and brand. You helped start something fantastic when you backed our first Kickstarter project (and shout-out to the first inPulse users). Since then, we’ve shipped over 2 million Pebbles around the world!

However — due to various factors — Pebble is no longer able to operate as an independent entity. We have made the tough decision to shut down the company and no longer manufacture Pebble devices.

Migicovsky went on to cover the buyout, earlier confirmed by Fitbit in a press release, and said that many members of his team would be joining the company to continue their work on wearable software platforms. Migicovsky also said that Pebble devices will continue to work as normal, thanks to "close collaboration with the Fitbit team", but warned that functionality or service quality may be reduced in the future.

The blog post also lists a number of bulleted "need-to-knows" for customers, including further details on refunds for Kickstarter backers awaiting pre-orders of devices including the Pebble 2 and Core wearables. Customers can read the list here.

Tags: Fitbit, Pebble

Top Rated Comments

djcerla Avatar
106 months ago
2015: "We're not fazed by the Apple Watch"

2016: "We've been tased by the Apple Watch"
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
106 months ago
Next Fitbit, always on colour screen, 7 day battery life and all the fitness features of a Fitbit with the functionality of the Pebble! Can't wait :)
that "always on colour screen" allowed for 7 days of battery life but it was so bad that it represented a major factor in the demise of the company.
[doublepost=1481204462][/doublepost]
$40m buyout and new jobs at Fitbit. Not bad for a few years work. I'd hardly call that tased
There is no money for no one.

VC lost most of its money, shares to employees are toilet paper, and there's a huge debt to be repaid.

This, just one year after declining a $740M offer from Citizen.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
106 months ago
I think it was more the OS and very low powered CPU that allowed for 7 days battery life.

The Fitbit blaze would be brilliant if the screen was always on and you could do more on the watch rather than having to use the app to do everything. Set an alarm, use the app! argh!
Agreed. Pebble Watch's were not very powerful at all. Although, they were not really intended to be powerful. The low screen reduction and likely the low powered processor were the main reasons for strong battery life. Although, seven days was impressive.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
106 months ago
$40m buyout and new jobs at Fitbit. Not bad for a few years work. I'd hardly call that tased. I've never been a fan of their watches since I sold my Kickstarter edition literally an hour after I received it. But they clearly had some IP that Fitbit wanted. It's hard for a tiny startup like Pebble to compete marketing-wise with a behemoth like Apple. If they can be criticized it's not taking an even bigger buyout sum earlier this year. That was pure hubris.
40m after having a 750m offer a few months ago...that is pretty bad. The buyout is supposedly just barely covering their debts. Given their financial situation probably looked dire at that point I have no idea why they didn't take the initial huge buyout offer. I think their CEO being an engineer at heart and too invested in the product itself was likely their downfall.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnApples Avatar
106 months ago
A little sad to see Pebble go away, as they're the ones who got me into smart watches in the first place. I didn't, however, like how they kept relying on Kickstarter to get their new products out. I know some people defended this, but it just didn't sit right with me.

Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
budselectjr Avatar
106 months ago
They should make a Kickstarter and start making them again.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...