Time to dust off your old Pebble smart watch
Eric Migicovsky, the founder of Pebble, still loves the pioneering smartwatch he created all the way back in 2013. In 2016 Fitbit purchased the brand to try their hand at full smartwatches. Then in 2021 Google bought FitBit because big tech needs to own everything but mostly wanted to acquire user data and feed them ads. Those original Pebble watches still work for those still using them but they haven’t seen an update since around 2016.
Migicovsky figured if he wanted his Pebble to keep his watch working, he’d need to go out and start a new brand from scratch and try again. But before he did that, he decided to reach out to Google and ask about getting original the Pebble firmware on a whim. And as crazy as it might seem, Google said “Sure”. Okay, so it might have been more in-depth than that, but they still said yes. So, as of today Pebble’s firmware is available open source on GitHub. Migicovsky, now with firmware in hand, is prepping to launch a new company to bring the Pebble back.
Google still owns the Pebble name, so this new brand venture will aim to recreate the spirit of the original brand. You can currently visit RePebble.com to keep up to date. Migicovsky is hoping to launch the brand sometime in 2025 and stick to the classic Pebble look and feel, including the e-paper display. Migicovsky states that he’s “building a spiritual clone of Pebble,” and says his focus is on simplicity, notifications, music control, and durability. He’s clear that the new Pebble brand will not be messing with any sort of fitness health tracking or AI functionality.
Migicovsky noted that he has learned from Pebble’s past mistakes, particularly its dependence on venture capital. His new Pebble-inspired brand will be totally self-funded and will look to grow alongside a natural business growth cycle and not through inflated speculative investments. Migicovsky wants to build an open-source community around the Pebble OS to help acheive this.
While the project is in its early stages, Migicovsky is already working on prototypes. His goal is simple: to ensure the Pebble legacy lives on. After all, the proof of its success is still ticking on his wrist.
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