I want more products like the Pebble watch, not less

I bought a new Pebble Watch the moment pre-orders launched. I’m always first in line for new tech, but I purchased a Pebble watch for deeper reasons, beyond nostalgia. The Pebble watch represents something we’ve lost with new products. It’s a smaller project, but in many ways, that’s freeing. The latest Pebble watch doesn’t have to compete with other top smartwatches in a race for maximum profitability. Making money is preferred and necessary in the long-term, but I don’t feel it’s the driving focus of the product with the new Pebble.

We need more products like the Pebble watch, not less. Those throwing rocks at the idea may have resigned themselves to the soulless tech bubble we’ve been trapped in, but I haven’t given up hope for a brighter day. Consumer tech used to be much more interesting, and products like the Pebble watch keep that dream alive.

Purpose-built products are necessary

Not every device has to be the same

I love that Eric Migicovsky, the creator of Pebble, is upfront about his new device. He states right on the pre-order page that this isn’t a watch designed to compete with an Apple Watch or Garmin in terms of functionality. If you need hardcore fitness tracking, the new Pebble isn’t your choice — but it doesn’t have to be. I hate that companies must add every function possible to accessories like smartwatches. Not every product needs to be for everyone. This isn’t a popular sentiment with larger companies because it means intentionally closing off a new product to a portion of the consumer base.

It’s refreshing to use a product that was someone’s vision.

That’s why I enjoy smaller projects like the Pebble watch so much. There’s less pressure to have the broadest appeal, often resulting in a product defined by the lowest common denominator. I’d rather have a smartwatch that does four things well instead of ten poorly. It’s about specialization, so we need more projects like the Pebble watch instead of the mass-produced junk we are often saddled with.

Legacy apps and watchfaces are everywhere

You can pick up where you left off

Google made PebbleOS open source, which made the new watches possible. This also means that all the legacy Pebble watchfaces and apps will be compatible with the new device. Poor app support is usually the downfall of a new platform, but Pebble’s legacy software avoids that. It’s like someone released a new Palm OS device today, taking advantage of its previous app library. I love that I can use the same Pebble watchface I had in 2015 when the new one arrives. It’s a fantastic way to marry nostalgia with current utility.

PebbleOS going open source is another win for the new watch. I hope the release generates excitement in the still-loyal Pebble community, with new apps and watchfaces developed. PebbleOS keeps it simple, meaning apps by smaller developers and individuals can run well — there’s not much to break on a Pebble watch. Programmers can focus on functionality and fun rather than integrating health sensors and data.

It’s been a while since I felt passion in a device

A singular vision can be a good thing

It’s refreshing to use a product that was someone’s vision. I’m sure Eric had a team working with him, but I do not doubt that the new Pebble watch is his baby. You don’t see that anymore. Products are passed around and distilled by committees and focus groups, then run through different departments for input. The final result is exactly what you’d expect — a watered-down, soulless product meant to offend the least number of people. That is why I dislike the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra so much, and I hate how much of it I see trending among smartphone manufacturers.

Apple is a large company, but I had little doubt that the early iPhones and other products like the iMac and iBook resulted from Steve Jobs’s vision. You can see that decisions were made not with the broadest appeal in mind but because Jobs and his team wanted them in the products they used. Eric Migicovsky designed a watch he wanted to use, and he’s hopeful others will, too — that’s not something you see in many places in 2025.

I don’t understand the hate

I don’t understand people who say the Pebble watch isn’t necessary. If you don’t want one, don’t buy it — that’s the magic of the marketplace. However, to say that niche, specialized products don’t have a purpose is ridiculous. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s useless to others. If you want to buy a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and enjoy Galaxy AI and 200 other functions, go ahead. I’ll be here enjoying my cat watchface on my Pebble, picking up where I left off in 2015.