How many pebble backers

The first Pebble watch was the standout Kickstarter success that seemed to validate the idea of using crowdfunding rather than venture capital to get a tech hardware idea off the ground. Even though backers who won't now receive discontinued Pebble products will get refunded, many are very unhappy. One, Matt Penton, told me "this is a terrible way to treat the community of backers" and said it was a betrayal that Pebble had not turned to that community for help before selling out to Fitbit.

But this is also a sign that the market for smart watches may be smaller than seemed likely when Pebble was followed by the likes of Samsung and Apple in giving consumers a new form of wearable connectivity.

We must assume that the "various factors" cited in Pebble's explanation of the rush to sell up include disappointing sales in the crucial holiday season. The big players in wearables now seem to be focusing on fitness fanatics rather than fashionistas - so Fitbit may also have its work cut out if it is to continue to grow.

Pebble watch users fear 'Fitbit takeover'. How is that even legal? I get that Pebble as a company is dead, but Fitbit can really just choose not to honor existing warranties?

If one company buys another it should be forced to honor all existing warranties. The A. The company cut its Christmas sales forecast in early November this year. The company had become a recurring feature on the crowdfounding site , using it to sell pre-orders and tighten links with customers long after similar businesses would have moved to a more conventional shop.

Pebble backers were, by and large, less hopeful. The Time 2 should have shipped and the Core was due in January. Plus, with the current deal it's very unlikely we will see these products in any similar form from Fitbit — it's interested in software not hardware. Still, considering all the points below, some Time 2 and Core backers might be pretty pleased to get a refund and move on. This one is a bit confusing but to clarify, Pebble isn't even guaranteeing refunds or exchanges on Pebble smartwatches bought directly from its online store.

If you bought in store, it says to refer to that retailer's refund policy. The only people getting refunds are people who returned before 7 December. Oh and if you bought a watch and it hasn't shipped, you're not getting it.

It's really lower than the least they could do. Fitbit isn't going to support existing Pebbles, and given that so many of the features exist in the cloud, there's no guarantee your smartwatch will continue to work in the long term.

Here's the word from Pebble, and take note of the words "for now". Functionality or service quality may be reduced down the road.