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Comment by arrrg | Hacker News Reader

It's a bland gadget. I'm really not sure about that approach. It's so cheap and uninspired. Whatever you think about the overall shape of the Apple Watch, at least it's not a bland gadget. It seems to pay meticulous attention to all the micro details that make jewelry jewlery and not a bland tech toy. (Seems to because obviously no one has looked at it in detail. But first indications are good.) This one does not.

I'm really not sure why more smart watches don't try to be actual worthy jewlery. Pebble has this really cool and really functional tech, why not pack it into something worthy of being called a watch?

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You say bland, I say functional. Since my Casio data bank watch in the 90s I didn't wear a watch until I got my Pebble.

To me a watch is a tool, not a fashion accessory. I understand not everyone looks at it that way, but really I don't think there's any smartwatch that looks like an elegant timepiece anyway.

I think that's a totally fair point. I mean, I was once obsessed with those Casio G-Shock watches (when I was a child until maybe a couple years into being a teenager), so I know people want watches like that. I'm mostly coming at this from my own biased perspective, I guess (and I somehow assume that's the more universally shared perspective with the bigger potential market without actually knowing that's the case), and for me this won't do.

If a watch can convince me at all that's it's worth wearing it I need it to not look functional and techie and my guess is that would be a more widely appealing approach to these watches. Maybe I'm wrong. Or maybe there is just no market at all there and this is just a momentary fad. This will be interesting to watch.

It's not a choice between bland and functional. Metal and sapphire crystal is much more robust and functional than these cheap materials.

> Metal and sapphire crystal is much more robust and functional than these cheap materials.

The screen is Gorilla Glass and the bezel is stainless steel!

What's with the exclamation point?

Anyway, Apple is using sapphire for everything except the low end: https://www.apple.com/watch/gallery/

It depends what "smart" actually means. Something like the Withings Activité [1] can afford to be a well-designed piece of jewellery because there is no expectation (or possibility) of software updates. This isn't true of Android Wear or the Apple Watch; models sold this year will become obsolete within a timeframe that is much shorter than one would want for high-end jewellery.

[1] http://www.withings.com/us/withings-activite.html

It would be a mistake to try and out-compete Apple on the exact same turf because they'll always be out-spent by a comical margin. Much better to maintain their current aesthetic and brand (and price point!).

Hm, I think you might be completely right. I mean, it seems like there are more than enough people who want this and that you can turn this into a decent and very cool business. They don’t have to compete on the turf Apple is competing and can still do tons of cool stuff (and they do and, hey, I genuinely think their software here looks really, really cool). And that thing with me not liking the physical design is then just a subjective taste thing, nothing more.

Also, we don’t even know if a watch that is visibly not a tech gadget (like the Apple Watch aspires to be) will even be successful. In a very real sense the Pebble is more proven as a product than what Apple is doing.

(Also, on a personal level: Yeah, I don’t like the look of this Pebble, sure, but I currently don’t even wear a watch at all and currently I am not even convinced I will ever get an Apple Watch. That’s not at all a promising case study for Pebble to really put resources into making this a non-gadget watch.)

I question your taste. This Pebble looks better than the Apple Watch to me, certainly better than the Apple Watch Sport version which is made of similar materials. Just because there is an Apple watch cast in gold doesn't mean it's better designed.

I highly question yours... you sound crazy calling this better. The Apple Watch isn't the most beautiful designed gadget but you are making a really silly statement. It's honestly blowing my mind how you think this.

Yeah, contrary to their "No Compromises" promise, this does seem significantly inferior to the Apple Watch (resolution doesn't look nearly as good, no touch screen, polish and finish, etc).

With the price at nearly half ($199) of what the low-end of the Apple Watch price range is expected to be ($349), however, this does open the smart watch option up to more people that don't have that sort of cash to spend on wearables.

Apple is targeting "a full day of use", while Pebble is targeting 7 days of battery life. Not having to charge my watch daily sounds much nicer to me.

Cue the advent of colour e-paper smartphones.

Actually, it would be nice to have a smartphone equivalent of a Toughbook. Very difficult to crush, e-paper display and large battery so it can run for a few weeks on a charge. There are mission critical industries that would like a phone that just works for a very long time.

They seem to care about the technology side more. Plus, once you get this right, you can work on your casings to sell it to people that do care about it more.

Also, this is what they've done with the first Pebble - first the initial, plastic one, and only after - Pebble steel.

Exactly, a tick/tock product cycle. Apple does the flip of this - using the same case for two models, with different internals. Though they start with the high-end model. Are there as many examples of working your way upmarket?

I think it may also be due to costs. The color e-paper screen obviously costs more, and perhaps a full Steel model would teeter within range of the fashion smart watches (including Apple Watch Sport), where the comparison would be less flattering.

If you want jewelry, buy a necklace. Or maybe an Apple Watch. Yeah, yeah, I get it. But I want a functional device as I'm one of those "a Rolex doesn't tell better time than a Casio" types. What's next, artisanally-crafted pocket knives? I'll stick my bland yet functional Victrinox or Case.

To each their own, and may both markets be well-served. For those that would rather pay for function, there's the Pebble that doesn't look all that bad to me. We'll see how well Apple serves the high end.

> What's next, artisanally-crafted pocket knives?

You can spend a pretty penny on pocket knives.

The appeal of mechanical watches is the idea that there's this beautiful mechanical machine inside (often visible through a transparent crystal back) which is powering the watch, either through a hand-wound mechanism or by converting the kinetic energy of your wrist's movement into potential energy stored in a spring. Mechanical watches are jewelry, and they're designed to appeal not just to the eyes but also to the mind.

This Pebble is 100% function over form. It's far more useful than a $2k Nomos, but also far less beautiful. It's not something I would ever cherish, or keep for decades, or pass down to grandchildren. I would never look at it and marvel at how it manages to work. I would never love it. But it would be useful.

The Apple Watch is likely something of a middle ground. It's prettier on the outside, but there's nothing interesting about the inside. The Moto 360 sits in this same category as well.

Like I said, I get it. The very reasons you've listed are why I've been tempted by such devices in the past. But when it comes time to shell out the cash, I buy function. Neither right or wrong, it's just why I paid for what is now my second Pebble and why (I take it) you likely won't be buying one at all.

I'm really glad Pebble are sticking to their own unique values and serving their hardcore supporters, instead of trying to compete with Apple.

If you think it's bland, it's obviously not for you, but going by the rate at which dollars are pouring in, enough people seem to think otherwise.

"it's not a bland gadget"

I pulled up an images search of the apple watch and the white watch looks almost identical to the new pebble, to the point of "oh oh someone's gonna get sued".

I claim that a dude on the street at a glance is not going to be able to tell the difference between an iWatch and the pebble. Maybe with a couple minutes of study or if they have a watch hobby / fetish they'll notice quicker...

So is the trash talking about the pebble's style simply astroturfing or are there specific complaints that can be addressed (I'd respect someone who said it needs a Disney Frozen sticker or My Little Pony branding. I'd disagree, but I'd respect it a lot more than providing no specific data other than the mfgr label defining what makes it cool)

I don't think any smart watch == jewellery argument works, because jewellery doesn't require software updates. There is nothing timeless about modern electronics that need battery replacements.

I think that for any mass-market adoption (arguably not what the Pebble Time is aimed at), any smart watch will have to bridge that divide. Most people buy a watch as a fashion piece, not as a practical tool.

Maybe watches can be practical tools again, and not just a status symbol hanging off your arm.

For some people they are... and maybe in the future they can be both (hence Apple making a smart watch with gold). It will probably segment, but the average non-techie probably wants fashion over practical.

Fine watches are only limitedly used as status symbol. Look at forums.watchuseek.com for afficionados who prefer keeping their watch for them - collecting them for example. Also note that, if you are unfamiliar with watches, you might not spot people wearing expensive watches if those are no Rolex.

It's a shame. I think the navigation paradigm is really neat, the screen looks great, and 7 hours of battery life is right on. But those buttons look kinda clumsy and cheap to me. There's a lot to like, but the form factor isn't very enticing.

7 days. :)

Heh, right. It's such good battery life, my fingers didn't even feel natural writing "days".

It looks like a sport watch. That's still a watch...

I'm ok with pebble not trying to be jewelery.

I gave my original away. The novelty lasted about 2 hours. They don't even have an estimated ship date. That worries me a bit.

This isn't a pre-order. Even if they wanted to provide a ship date, it will inevitably change.

Smells like a pre-order to me, except with a lot of the downsides and risks pushed onto 'backers'.

Oh, who are we kidding? Of course it's a pre-order. Are you claiming that if Pebble didn't meet their funding goal, the Time will never ship? That there's the possibility that I'll never see my Pebble Time after pledging? Pebble is now an established company in the wearables market, the Time is shipping regardless of KS. Pebble doesn't need the money, it's marketing.

... how the hell is this not a pre-order? Are the rewards just going to up and disappear after the campaign is over? Not from an established group like this.

> EARLY BIRD: Your choice of one Pebble Time watch in any of the three colors. Regular retail price will be $199. Estimated delivery: May 2015 Ships anywhere in the world

"Estimated delivery: May 2015"

> Estimated delivery: May 2015 ?

Oh my. Missed that. My mistake.

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