advertisement
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit

Pebble calls time confirms Fitbit will acquire its assets

Pebble, the wearable manufacturer that found great success on Kickstarter, is closing its doors.

To date the startup has shipped over 2 million wearables but founder and chief executive officer Eric Migicovsky says that due to various factors Pebble can no longer function on its own.

“We have made the tough decision to shut down the company and no longer manufacture Pebble devices,” wrote Migicovsky in a blog post.

Of course this decision brings with it a few problems such as the fact that before the announcement the firm was running a Kickstarter campaign for its Pebble 2 and Time 2 wearables.

All backers that funded the project will receive a full refund by 16th December. The firm will also no longer promote, manufacture nor sell any devices. Pebble has also said that orders from its website that were completed before 7th December will be refunded. Users with other queries have been asked to visit the Pebble support page although the firm has done it’s best to answer as many questions as possible in Kickstarter Update 17.

Developing acquisition

Pebble’s development team appears to be the main reason for Fitbit’s decision to acquire the brand. “The team joining Fitbit will help the company accelerate development of the tools and resources devs need to enhance future Fitbit products with experiences that can take wearables to new heights of utility and appeal,” said Migicovsky.

Fitbit CEO and co-founder James Park said that the firm sees the acquisition as an chance to build on its successes. “With this acquisition, we’re well positioned to accelerate the expansion of our platform and ecosystem to make Fitbit a vital part of daily life for a wider set of consumers, as well as build the tools healthcare providers, insurers and employers need to more meaningfully integrate wearable technology into preventative and chronic care,” Park said.

As for Pebble wearables in the wild, Migicovsky says that they will continue to operate but one-to-one support is no longer available. Replacement bands, skins and cables will still be made available from third party suppliers. However the wearables will no longer be covered by Pebble’s warranty exchange programme so if it breaks it looks like you’re on your own.

advertisement

About Author

advertisement

Related News

advertisement