Pebble's next step • Hacker News Board

Re: Pebble's next step

#241

Post by Naritai » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:10 PM UTC

headgasket wrote: post #218

I also blame Apple. When you are a 1T$ company, I think it's a social responsibility to not be ruthless in your pricing with small innovating competitors running on the midnight oil. It's a page out of MS playbook. I feel like a traitor for owning an apple watch. But at this rate, with their ipadification (dropped all ports off the mbp) and product lineup explosion, Apple is going where it was in the 90s anyway...

I've seen a lot of criticism of the Apple Watch on HN, but never before have I sent it asserted that the pricing was predatorily low...

Re: Pebble's next step

#242

Post by hexxeh » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:11 PM UTC

reustle wrote: post #92

For those curious, you can still buy the Pebble 2 online via BestBuy, Walmart, Amazon, etc. Did the Pebble Time 2 ever get completed? Did anyone receive one? I was really looking forward to it...

It did not. There's a number of prototype units in existence, but that's it.

Re: Pebble's next step

#243

Post by WorldMaker » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:11 PM UTC

dag11 wrote: post #37

pbnjay wrote: post #32

Wow this is even worse than expected from the previous news articles... If they're winding down all support and warranties, PLEASE release as much of the watch operating system code as possible! I know some of the IP was sold, but if Fitbit won't be continuing support please help those of us who love our current watches keep them going!

That's Fitbit's call. Would be a great way to retain some product/brand loyalty among its supporters though!

It might not be Fitbit's call depending on how the bankruptcy was structured. From reading between the lines of the post, it sounds like Fitbit is onboarding much of the staff but maybe didn't pay for (or was unable to pay for) some or all of the IP.

Re: Pebble's next step

#244

Post by kobeya » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:12 PM UTC

detaro wrote: post #116

captainmuon wrote: post #64

I'm quite angry. This sucks so bad. I "ordered" a Time 2 via Kickstarter. I'm glad they are refunding me, but that makes me think... WTF, did they not produce any Time 2's? Or are they all going to the landfill? How long have they been knowing that they are going to be insolvent? This doesn't happen overnight! Was the last Kickstarter a gamble? Why does everybody have to aim for total market dominance to be successfu…

Did they aim for total market dominance? I haven't followed it to closely, but to me it didn't seem like they did any totally crazy expansions. Seems like they should have developed further models in smaller steps, but would people have bought enough of those then? If they have 20 millions in debt, just increasing the price on their kickstarters slightly wouldn't have done it, so they obviously overdid something .

They hired more people than they had revenue to pay. That may be normal, even standard operating procedure in Silicon Valley, but not elsewhere.

Re: Pebble's next step

#245

Post by this-dang-guy » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:12 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #132

otabdeveloper1 wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sometimes I think there is a secret cabal conspiring so we can't have nice things There is, it's called "Chinese OEM manufacturers". (Yes, I know that an 'OEM manufacturer' is like an 'ATM machine'.)

No. Chinese manufacturers are building whatever you pay them for. It's literally a human-powered API converting designs to hardware. It's the western companies that don't want to build nice things.

Manufacturer: (n) Like an API, but it has even less idea what you're talking about and costs a whole lot more to use

Re: Pebble's next step

#246

Post by kobeya » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:14 PM UTC

codemac wrote: post #234

TeMPOraL wrote: post #202

I'm sad/angry/depressed as any Pebbler right now, so I won't repeat those comments. Instead, since this is HN after all, let me ask - what shall we do? In a year or two, when my current Pebble Time fails, I'd love an equivalent smartwatch to be available. Since the market doesn't seem to want it, how can we make it happen anyway? Features I'm looking for are, in order of priority: - always-on screen, preferably color…

How bad / hard is it to put our own software on a pebble? I think that would promote longevity more than looking for another "unicorn of Kickstarter"

And when the current generation of pebbles die from planned obsolescence?

Re: Pebble's next step

#247

Post by qwrusz » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:14 PM UTC

stingrae wrote: post #177

victorvation wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Was the last Kickstarter a gamble? _All_ Kickstarters are gambles. Their messaging[1] is pretty clear in the fact that you aren't buying a product, you're contributing money with the hope that the maker will deliver on their promises. [1] https://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-is-not-a-store

I think this is an example of an issue that some companies that do kickstarter/preorder campaigns have. They try to do a Hardware project that pushes boundaries and try to collect money to early during the development process at a time when it is really impossible to set a ship date. (Also a factor is company inexperience with manufacturing) This is why so many projects have to delay shipments and sometimes eventuall…

This is not really an issue with what some companies are doing. This is the main point of kickstarter.

It's for people to support funding projects still in development and helping them get from that stage to get into production. In exchange for a "reward". It's not meant to be for products already having done multiple production runs ready to ramp up and customers are just pre-paying a long delivery time.

I would agree it appears there needs to be better communication about the risks and uncertainties. But they have said quite clearly kickstarter is not a store:

https://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-is-not-a-store

Re: Pebble's next step

#248

Post by kobeya » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:15 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #202

I'm sad/angry/depressed as any Pebbler right now, so I won't repeat those comments. Instead, since this is HN after all, let me ask - what shall we do? In a year or two, when my current Pebble Time fails, I'd love an equivalent smartwatch to be available. Since the market doesn't seem to want it, how can we make it happen anyway? Features I'm looking for are, in order of priority: - always-on screen, preferably color…

Count me in, as long as it has a mic, accelerometer and health sensors.

Re: Pebble's next step

#249

Post by mplewis » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:16 PM UTC

Fnoord wrote: post #229

otabdeveloper1 wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sometimes I think there is a secret cabal conspiring so we can't have nice things There is, it's called "Chinese OEM manufacturers". (Yes, I know that an 'OEM manufacturer' is like an 'ATM machine'.)

> There is, it's called "Chinese OEM manufacturers". > (Yes, I know that an 'OEM manufacturer' is like an 'ATM machine'.) OEM means "Original Equipment Manufacturer".

Yeah, he mentioned that in his post, in the part you quoted.

Re: Pebble's next step

#250

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Dec 07, 2016, 5:16 PM UTC

"Warranty support is no longer available" -- if items were purchased with a warranty, isn't that straight up breach of contract, for which Pebble (well, Fitbit, which bought Pebble and thus inherits its liabilities) will be liable?