Fitbit is Ending Support for Pebble Smartwatches in June of 2018

[abazigal]

21 hours ago, RorzNZ said:

These smart watch companies seem to forget a Watch is a very long item to keep. I’ve no intention of upgrading my Apple Watch for at least 5 - 7 more years. 

The Apple Watch is really more of a miniaturised computer you wear on your wrist. Bear this in mind and upgrading it every few years doesn’t seem like that unreasonable a proposition. 

 

Though coupled with other Apple products (iPhone, iPad, Macs), I understand how this can get expensive really fast. And then there will be some lowest common multiple game where you end up having to replace everything in the same year and it’s really going to hurt your wallet. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, abazigal said:

The Apple Watch is really more of a miniaturised computer you wear on your wrist. Bear this in mind and upgrading it every few years doesn’t seem like that unreasonable a proposition. 

 

Though coupled with other Apple products (iPhone, iPad, Macs), I understand how this can get expensive really fast. And then there will be some lowest common multiple game where you end up having to replace everything in the same year and it’s really going to hurt your wallet. 

I'm happy to pay for it, but I need a watch to tell me the time and all the features I have on my Apple Watch are more than enough for me. If I dont see any reason to upgrade I don't see why I would.

[abazigal]

56 minutes ago, RorzNZ said:

I'm happy to pay for it, but I need a watch to tell me the time and all the features I have on my Apple Watch are more than enough for me. If I dont see any reason to upgrade I don't see why I would.

I am not sure the current Apple watches will get to see 5-7 years of software updates, or if the battery can even hold out that long. I got the series 2 in end 2016 and I am hoping to get at least 3 years out of it, after which I will reevaluate whether I am willing to plop down the cash to get another one. The music app is horrifically laggy, I can tell you that. 

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, abazigal said:

I am not sure the current Apple watches will get to see 5-7 years of software updates, or if the battery can even hold out that long. I got the series 2 in end 2016 and I am hoping to get at least 3 years out of it, after which I will reevaluate whether I am willing to plop down the cash to get another one. The music app is horrifically laggy, I can tell you that. 

I've owned an Apple Watch Series 1 since 2015. Works great. Music app isn't laggy for me! Maybe see what the Apple Store says about it.

[Commodus]

Something to note: this is actually an extension of the support Fitbit originally promised, which was supposed to end once 2017 was over.  Still not great, but if you're one of those Pebble die-hards, it at least gives you some extra time to consider your options.

 

With that in mind, it's definitely time to let go.  While Pebble was a tiny company that punched above its weight, it was always going to face an uphill battle competing with giant companies that can afford to iterate aggressively and saturate the market with advertising, like Apple and Samsung.  I don't think it's worth clinging to old tech just because you want a watch that lasts for more than two days on a charge (and let's face it, that advantage is disappearing with the older Pebble models).  There's so much you're missing by holding on.

[79wjd]

8 minutes ago, Commodus said:

Something to note: this is actually an extension of the support Fitbit originally promised, which was supposed to end once 2017 was over.  Still not great, but if you're one of those Pebble die-hards, it at least gives you some extra time to consider your options.

 

With that in mind, it's definitely time to let go.  While Pebble was a tiny company that punched above its weight, it was always going to face an uphill battle competing with giant companies that can afford to iterate aggressively and saturate the market with advertising, like Apple and Samsung.  I don't think it's worth clinging to old tech just because you want a watch that lasts for more than two days on a charge (and let's face it, that advantage is disappearing with the older Pebble models).  There's so much you're missing by holding on.

Well, part of the problem is that for me, there isn't really anything that's truly better (not that I have a choice in upgrading sine my battery is completely shot). The Apple Watch looks terrible imo (I like round watches), and Apply Pay still isn't ubiquitous enough for that to lure me to upgrade and it doesn't support magnetic swipes (like the Gear S3, which makes it work pretty much everywhere). The Gear S3/Gear Sport are mostly round but Samsung Pay doesn't work with iOS, and they also can't respond to notifications with iOS. So while I have to get something new, my new options aren't really better than my Pebble by enough to warrant the $300~ price tag (not that that's going to stop me, but still).

[Commodus]

21 hours ago, djdwosk97 said:

Well, part of the problem is that for me, there isn't really anything that's truly better (not that I have a choice in upgrading sine my battery is completely shot). The Apple Watch looks terrible imo (I like round watches), and Apply Pay still isn't ubiquitous enough for that to lure me to upgrade and it doesn't support magnetic swipes (like the Gear S3, which makes it work pretty much everywhere). The Gear S3/Gear Sport are mostly round but Samsung Pay doesn't work with iOS, and they also can't respond to notifications with iOS. So while I have to get something new, my new options aren't really better than my Pebble by enough to warrant the $300~ price tag (not that that's going to stop me, but still).

I'd say give the Apple Watch a shot.  It's definitely not stunning, but it is becoming something of a common style option.  Think of this like you would rectangular watches like the TAG Heuer Monaco or the Cartier Tank.  The Sport Loops help with the look, I think... they're velcro, but they look nicer on the wrist than the usual rubber bands.

 

Besides, I'd say this: Samsung Pay's magnetic stripe support is good, but NFC is where shopping is going.  You're futureproofing!

[79wjd]

42 minutes ago, Commodus said:

I'd say give the Apple Watch a shot.  It's definitely not stunning, but it is becoming something of a common style option.  Think of this like you would rectangular watches like the TAG Heuer Monaco or the Cartier Tank.  The Sport Loops help with the look, I think... they're velcro, but they look nicer on the wrist than the usual rubber bands.

 

Besides, I'd say this: Samsung Pay's magnetic stripe support is good, but NFC is where shopping is going.  You're futureproofing!

I don't really care about the style of it, I just dislike the square face. I probably will give the Apple watch a shot and I'll end up with a metal band if I like it best. 

 

While NFC is the future, right now a lot of places refuse to support it and half of those that do insist on supporting a different standard -- be it Samsung pay NFC and not Apple Pay NFC, or Walmart Pay, or whatever other nonsense stores insist on.

[Commodus]

43 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

I don't really care about the style of it, I just dislike the square face. I probably will give the Apple watch a shot and I'll end up with a metal band if I like it best. 

 

While NFC is the future, right now a lot of places refuse to support it and half of those that do insist on supporting a different standard -- be it Samsung pay NFC and not Apple Pay NFC, or Walmart Pay, or whatever other nonsense stores insist on.

I like the square face for the information it provides.  You get a watch face (round if you want it) and information that wouldn't easily fit in a conventional circular face.

 

My understanding is that Apple Pay, Google Pay and NFC-based Samsung Pay use the same fundamental technology and are interchangeable.  The problem is that some retailers have been actively resisting these (Walmart Pay doesn't involve NFC at all; it involves scanning codes and whatnot) in the hope of having more ways to track your shopping habits.  So you're set for the future as long as you get a modern NFC-equipped watch; it's just that you won't have an option for those holdouts.

[79wjd]

1 hour ago, Commodus said:

I like the square face for the information it provides.  You get a watch face (round if you want it) and information that wouldn't easily fit in a conventional circular face.

 

My understanding is that Apple Pay, Google Pay and NFC-based Samsung Pay use the same fundamental technology and are interchangeable.  The problem is that some retailers have been actively resisting these (Walmart Pay doesn't involve NFC at all; it involves scanning codes and whatnot) in the hope of having more ways to track your shopping habits.  So you're set for the future as long as you get a modern NFC-equipped watch; it's just that you won't have an option for those holdouts.

Apple pay doesn't work at all NFC terminals, I've ran into a few that work with Samsung pay NFC and not Apple pay NFC. So until there is some ubiquitous solution, all non MST implementations will be inferior.

[Antistatic12]

It's a shame really, I never owned a Pebble device but I always thought they were pretty cool and a neat concept with the e-ink screen.
Hopefully one day e-ink gets to the point of current display tech and can be used as a low power alternative.
I'm sure Amazon has been trying to advance e-ink. A kindle with a colour screen probably is still a few years off though.