2016 has taken another fatality: Pebble. The smartwatch maker has confirmed rumours it is to be bought, with Fitbit acquiring the software and intellectual property, and leaving the hardware to die. Acquisitions happen all the time but totally ending a line of products so young – that’s a little harder to swallow. A lot of people were annoyed when Facebook bought Oculus, but the hardware continued course as intended. Fitbit just paid $40 million to have one less competitor.
What’s frustrating for Pebble users is that many, understandably, feel like they’ve been left in the lurch. Pebble confirmed that it won’t be shipping the Time 2 or Core, and that support for existing Pebbles will eventually be phased out. It will be refunding unfulfilled pledges, but “by March 2017”, and it won’t be offering warranty support for existing models.
If there were a Simpsons scene to best sum up this moment, it would probably be this one.
Pebble users and pledgers have taken to Twitter to express their sadness, anger and all other emotions, some of which we’ve included below.
There were the sad sentiments
The disappointed
Those who are mad at Pebble
Those who are mad at Fitbit
Or at both…
The ones with really bad timing
And those who are feeling ALL the emotions
But some are optimistic for what’s ahead
SOURCE:http://www.wareable.com/Pebble/pebble-fitbit-buy-acquisition-twitter-reaction-3221
