Pebble CEO Predicts All Watches Will Get Smarter
It’s getting harder to dismiss smartwatches as a passing fad when some of the biggest names in traditional timepieces are creating their own wearable devices. One of the early innovators in the field was Pebble, the upstart that got its smartwatches on the market ahead of major companies like Apple and Samsung. Now Pebble’s CEO is making a bold prediction about the future of the connected device.
Speaking at Dublin’s Web Summit tech conference this week, Eric Migicovsky did more than just promote the latest Pebble models. He also took a look ahead at the future of watches in general. “I believe in 5 to 10 years the majority of all watches in the world will be smart or have smart capabilities,” he stated.
Whether this prediction comes true will depend on how well the average customer embraces the idea of wearing a gadget that does much more than tell time. One way to gauge the success of the smartwatch is by looking at the sales figures from the currently most popular models. Although Apple has so far refused to provide exact sales figures, analysts estimate that somewhere between 2.5 million and 6 million units of the Apple Watch in the last quarter.
By contrast, Pebble has sold a total of just one million smartwatches in its short history. This doesn’t bother Migicovsky, who claimed that the Apple Watch has actually boosted sales of his competing device and gave his take on why it’s possible for a small company like his to coexist with a behemoth like Apple.
“I’m living, breathing proof that it’s possible,” he stated. “The rumors of Pebble’s demise are dramatically overstated. In the last year, since Apple announced its watch, we’ve doubled the number of Pebbles out there in the world.”
Pebble may not be the most glamorous smartwatch available today but it does get the job done for a reasonable price, plus it’s compatible with both Android and iOS.
