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Does Pebble’s new gold-colored Time Steel smartwatch look familiar to you?

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A week after Pebble announced a color-screen version of its popular smartwatch, the Pebble Time, it has now announced a stainless steel model: the Pebble Time Steel. The metal version is available in silver, black and … gold finishes. Wonder where they got the inspiration for a gold finish with red strap?

The Time Steel will retail at $299–a hundred bucks more than the plastic original, but still $50 less than the plastic-strap model Apple Watch. It’s available on Kickstarter for an early bird price of $250 … 

Pebble claims to have boosted the 7-day battery life of the Time to ten days, at the cost of an extra 1mm thickness.

The company is estimating delivery in July, though it doesn’t have the best of track records when it comes to meeting promised deadlines.

Pebble is also opening up the accessory port to allow third-party companies to develop ‘smart straps’ for the watch, adding functionality via embedded sensors. Possible examples given include heart-rate monitors, GPS units and even extra batteries, to boost the time between charges.

Apple’s own genuine gold Apple Watch Edition will cost rather more and have significantly lower battery-life, but we suspect that not too many people will be changing their purchase plans …

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Comments

  1. iucpa - 9 years ago

    I bought a Pebble Steel to ramp up getting used to Apple Watch and I must say, this thing SUCKS. It seems like it belongs in the 1980s. No color, resolution is garbage. I honestly don’t understand the appeal. The only value it brings for me is the ability to see my notifications on my wrist without pulling out my phone. Will gladly return this and take advantage of the myriad options provided by Apple Watch in April.

    • Isn’t that the point; to see notifications at a glance without pulling out your phone?

    • figshta - 9 years ago

      It’s the the Pebble Time Steel… It will be color.

    • r00fus1 - 9 years ago

      Apple is leaving battery life as a potential competitive weakness, and Pebble is exploiting it.

      All the things you ask for cost battery life, and the Pebble model is to respect battery life. Apple’s direction (again based on what we’ve heard so far) is to look the other direction. If they can pull off 1 day of actual meaningful watch usage, especially over time.

      Furthermore, the water-resistance of the Apple Watch, from what we’ve heard so far isn’t on par with what Pebble offers – can I take my Apple Watch to the pool or do I have to leave it in the car? Apple has left me vague here, while Pebble has not.

      If the Apple Watch meets those two concerns above, Pebble may face an uphill battle for market share and profits. As it stands, Pebble offers a solution to those who want battery life, usability, and water-restistance (I’ll leave aside interoperability with Android and iOS, but for some that’s also a selling point).

      • Diego Garcia - 9 years ago

        You reason as if battery life and waterproofing are the only two factors that will decide how each watch will sell. The Apple watch has been confirmed to be water resistant which will be good enough for 90% of the population. Also, I would wear neither to bed, and most people wouldn’t either if I had to guess. So, recharging nightly is a solid option.

        I think the two deciding factors will be price and interpretability. I have a pebble and I only use it to go on long runs for the integration with my running app. The Apple Watch will have that capability.

        I think that most people who are looking for a watch are also looking for a nice piece of hardware that operates with their current OS well. I also agree that most people won’t have a problem with the price because they will look at the Apple Watch as a solid piece of hardware.

      • r00fus1 - 9 years ago

        @Diego,
        I’m not saying Apple Watch won’t be successful – I’m pretty vested in their success. I do think they could do better on the battery life and waterproofing aspect – and I hope I’m proven wrong when it’s released.

        I’m on the fence as to whether to upgrade my Pebble or get the Apple Watch v1. I might go Pebble this year and switch over if/when Apple addresses my concerns.

  2. WHAT THE F!??!!!!

  3. andreww500 - 9 years ago

    What ‘plastic model’ Apple Watch? You mean the aluminium Apple Watch?

  4. Claude-Michael Comeau - 9 years ago

    “The Time Steel will retail at $299–a hundred bucks more than the plastic original, but still $50 less than the plastic model Apple Watch.”

    Entry-level Apple Watch is mostly Aluminum though.

  5. Patrick Michael - 9 years ago

    “…but still $50 less than the plastic model Apple Watch.”

    Ah, which Apple Watch model is plastic?

  6. iJonni - 9 years ago

    “50 less than the plastic model Apple Watch…”
    There’s no plastic Apple Watch. The low end is aluminum…

  7. Mosha - 9 years ago

    “The Time Steel will retail at $299–a hundred bucks more than the plastic original, but still $50 less than the plastic model Apple Watch.”

    Plastic model Apple watch? What? The sport version is aluminium and the band is more like a rubber then plastic….

  8. blockbusterbuzz - 9 years ago

    Both are a clear copy of the armored red ranger from the original Power Ranger’s TV show.

  9. moofer1972 - 9 years ago

    The New “Pebble Steal”

  10. Kmnnj Ijmcimimvimvi - 9 years ago

    can’t really blame them for capitalising on it. They’re only a small company and success right now could catapult them into the big leagues. Can’t imagine it’ll sell that many though so close to the aluminium apple watch price.

  11. sircheese69 - 9 years ago

    I think it looks better than the Apple Watch :/

    • rogifan - 9 years ago

      In what way?

      • sircheese69 - 9 years ago

        Who the fuck cares what way, it’s my opinion. Quit being a Apple defending twat.

      • paulywalnuts23 - 9 years ago

        As it is your opinion, you should be able to tell us what way you think it looks better..

      • charismatron - 9 years ago

        Having an opinion about the aesthetic quality of something does not necessarily mean you can describe the preference. This is where the French expression is used for something having a certain “je ne sais quoi”–meaning “I don’t know–about it.

        The expression means that you don’t know why you like something better, but that you just do.

        The fact there’s a famous expression for it shows it’s a fairly common circumstance. Sometimes people don’t know why they like something, and sometimes they do.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        Hahah he says “Quit being a Apple defending twat.”. I’ll assert that he is anti-Apple, and his reasoning is such that he doesn’t even look at them to really compare them, or he is never going to tell the truth about a product compared to an Apple product.

    • paulywalnuts23 - 9 years ago

      That is funny…

      • sircheese69 - 9 years ago

        Such an insightful comment. You do know what an opinion is right?

    • dailycardoodle - 9 years ago

      imagine that conversation in real life, then ascertain if it’s suitable…

      I think it looks better
      In what way?
      Fuck off twat!

      Doesn’t seem like a reasonable response does it.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        i read it like so:
        I think it looks better.
        In what way?
        I hate Apple!!!!!

  12. rettun1 - 9 years ago

    It’s even the same time on the both watch faces O_o

  13. rettun1 - 9 years ago

    And at this point, does pebble really need to be using kickstarter? I feel like they are just doing it for publicity

    • And publicity is bad for a company how exactly?

      • rettun1 - 9 years ago

        It’s not the publicity that’s bad, it just seems a little disingenuous to use a service that is meant to help creators and developers who don’t already have the monetary means to bring their products to fruition. At this point, pebble can just sell it off their site just fine.

        And I had just learned that even before pebble put their first watch on kickstarter, they already had adequate backing from investors. I just think they have outgrown the service, is all. I have nothing against the product

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        I totally agree rettun1. It’s honestly taking advantage of kickstarter. We’ll probably start seeing more of this due to stunts like this. Instead of using other means, they use kickstarter to publicize and gauge interest in this new product before making it. Kickstarter is for starting a company, it’s not called kickgrinder or kickleacher or keepkicking…

      • @rettun1 That may be what *you* think Kickstarter is all about. The guy who runs it seems to have bigger ambitions.

        “Kickstarter CEO Yancey Strickler said the crowdfunding platform is “thrilled” Pebble has returned to share its latest product. “As enthusiastic members of the Pebble community, all of us at Kickstarter are excited to help them again bring an exciting vision to life,” Strickler said. ” http://tinyurl.com/q4oojd8

    • Jimmy CrackCorn - 9 years ago

      Yeah, I’m sure kickstarter is hating the publicity and $ from the most successful member.

  14. htisch76 - 9 years ago

    That’s a piece of junk that doesn’t come close to the apple watch. Interesting how they can have a long battery life and Apple can’t. Must not do much. Nice knock off…waiting to hear an announcement that Apple sues them!

    • Why would Apple sue them? You seriously need to do a search on the internet for “Watches” and you’ll find plenty gold coloured, square watches with red straps. They are completely different markets – don’t get your knickers in a twist.

    • You realize the Pebble brand has been around longer than the Apple Watch, right?

      • Shon - 9 years ago

        And, it looked NOTHING like this, until after Apple’s announcement. THAT’S the frustration.

      • paulywalnuts23 - 9 years ago

        Yeah and they are still having to do KickStarters??? Tells me all I need to know about that company…

      • It’s a watch. I’m pretty sure Apple doesn’t have a patent on the color gold or red. And by that logic, Rolex should sue Apple for making a “knock off” timepiece.

        As for the Kickstarter, why not? Pebble isn’t a multi-billion dollar corporation, of course they don’t have the funding Apple does. Essentially you are preordering your item, at a discount no less. Pebble receives funding from the consumer from the preorder, the consumer receives the item at a discount; it’s a win-win.

    • Shon - 9 years ago

      Because it doesn’t DO as much. It’s also using a lesser screen to gain battery life.

      • florinnica - 9 years ago

        You’re right… The screen is what kills the battery :( And Pebble’s screen is lesser just in terms of image quality, resolution, and refresh rate. But it is a better screen in many other areas :)

      • Mathew Bauler - 9 years ago

        There’s a certain point where you have to just say…I can pull the phone out of my pocket to do this. A smart watch doesn’t need a speaker and a camera and a heart monitor and all of that…it’s complete overkill.

        As for the screen it was monochrome e-paper and now it’s color e-paper which enables the up to 10 day battery life…and get this: The watch doesn’t go into idle mode and turn it’s screen off…it actually *gasp* shows the time at all times! Also with the new smart strap feature, pretty much any feature can be added to the phone in the future.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        It needs a heart monitor. Doing that with a phone is a travesty of uselessness. Biosensors have to be in constant contact with the body — to track it constantly — to be useful at all. I hope this isn’t a revelation to anyone… sad if it is.

    • Mathew Bauler - 9 years ago

      Apple is only jumping into the smartwatch game because Pebble made them the next big thing. So who is copying who really? As for the gold/red combo, apparently it was a request from a user. They have 5 other color combinations you know.

  15. noolcofnenwp - 9 years ago

    I find apple watch’s design impressive. I like it, but I could not imagine having to recharge a watch’s battery on a daily basis. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an apple user (iMac,Macbooks pro/air,mini, iphone and ipads). I’m a heavy OS X (and Linux) user. I can’t imagine how would I feel having a daily rechargeable watch having its iOS updated with a particular iOS release that suddenly goes banana with a “battery drainer” bug (iphone 5G and 6, anyone?). How long would its battery last, a couple of hours? What about using it on a sunny day outside?

    In my opnion, regarding smartwatches, I think pebble has nailed this one with it’s e-ink color screen. It’s a trade off. Less fancy screen, but by now, it’s the proper screen for a smart watch. I find e-ink screens appealing and I don’t need a retina display on a smartwatch. If I ever need something bigger and with higher resolution, I’d pull my mac, ipad or iphone for the job.

    I’ll never completely replace my current swatch watches with its 2-3 year battery for a smartwatch, but as my geek side roars, by now, Pebble will be my choice, as soon as it becomes available where I live.

    • friedmud1 - 9 years ago

      I think that people that currently wear watches are the only ones that care about battery life. The rest of us charge every device we carry with us every night anyway… one more doesn’t matter.

      Every night I charge (in this general order):

      1. Macbook Pro
      2. Beats Studio Wireless Headphones
      3. Mophie Power Pack
      4. HP Prime Calculator (yes, I’m an Engineering PhD student… and I use my calculator enough every day to warrant charging it!)
      5. iPad
      6. iPhone

      Those last two go in a dock on my nightstand… which is exactly what I’m planning on doing with my Apple Watch.

      I think everyone yelling “battery life!” is going to be surprised when the Apple Watch sells like hotcakes. No one cares about charging it every night… because that’s a normal ritual for everything else in our lives at this point!

      • Everyone has become complacent with battery life; we shouldn’t expect our “normal ritual” to include charging every piece of tech we own every night. Why are we not pushing to change the status quo with longer battery life?

      • Mathew Bauler - 9 years ago

        Speak for yourself. As someone that NEVER wore a watch, battery life was important to me. I am fine plugging my phone in every night, but my watch…no chance. The battery life is why I’ve stuck with Pebble and waited for the next version to come out. I have no doubt the Apple watch will sell like hotcakes, but only because it’s an Apple product…I don’t think sales = quality or lack of interest in long battery life here.

      • friedmud1 - 9 years ago

        Tommy: Everyone is pushing for better batteries… but there are real physics constraints. Apple and everyone else is pouring tons of research into new batteries (look at all of the recent battery related hires at Apple)… but the laws of physics are a PITA :-)

        Mathew: I guess I just don’t understand what’s different about a watch vs a phone as far as battery goes. They’re both something I carry around with me all day. They both run on batteries. They both have retina displays, real processors, touch screens, etc. Why is it ok for the phone to get charged every night but not the watch?

        They even made the watch really simple to recharge with the magsafe inductive charging. I fully expect many docks to be made that make it as easy as just laying your watch on your nightstand before going to sleep. Why is that such a big deal?

      • Mathew Bauler - 9 years ago

        The answer is actually very simple. I don’t want to charge it every day, it’s a damn watch. I don’t want to, I shouldn’t have to, I don’t need to. Some people don’t take their watches off or want to use 10x the amount of electricity to power one small device. I’m not gonna argue with someone that plugs 6 things in every night to charge, because clearly that is the norm to you and you’re not gonna see past that. I don’t see why you need to make excuses for the battery or blame it on technology when the technology is there…otherwise Pebble would be in the same boat as everyone else.

  16. Walter A. (@freediverx) - 9 years ago

    or, “How to trade your long term reputation for a chance at some short term profit.”

  17. Shon - 9 years ago

    And, THIS is why Apple is sooo secretive about their products before launching. (…facepalm…)

    • Scott McIntyre - 9 years ago

      This is why Apple usually doesn’t pre-announced products six months before they go on sale.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        New products are announced months ahead of sale. Look at the iphone and iPad. Granted the iPad was announced jan 27 and went on sale April 3.

  18. Scott McIntyre - 9 years ago

    How much of this is just due to the gold case + red band? Do people think the other colors of Pebble Steel look like the Apple Watch, even though they have the same case design?

    • Yes (@AMillah) - 9 years ago

      Yes, their link bracelet looks highly reminiscent of the Apple Watch link bracelet as well. Solid rectangular links extending across the entire band width from the front side, as opposed to having link pieces in the middle front side like a typical link bracelet.

      Btw, color combinations are everything when it comes to fashion and design. Jony Ive has a member of his team who’s specializes entirely in colors. So saying that “it only looks similar because the colors” is the point.

  19. No shame at all. Wow.

  20. TEAZY93 (@Teazy93) - 9 years ago

    they should be ashamed of them selves, look at how bad companies want to copy apple products, make your own design, and be unique…..please!

  21. Mathew Bauler - 9 years ago

    Wow. I knew Apple fans were annoying, but the stupidity here just hurts my brain. You people will fight tooth and nail for a product that hasn’t even been released. Reminds me of the Jimmy Kimmel bit where they took a regular boring watch and told people it was the Apple watch and people acted like it was the second coming of Jesus.

    • Yes (@AMillah) - 9 years ago

      And Apple haters/doubters are equally annoying. Always hating on Apple and its fanbase, yet for some reason just can’t seem to stay away from the action.

      • Mathew Bauler - 9 years ago

        I judge a device based on my needs and the quality and practicality of a device. I personally find Apple products to be limited for my needs as they are simplified for mainstream markets which I can admire and understand why it’s popular. As someone who is more tech inclined, Apple personally does not fit my needs and another product is what I usually go for. There are droves and droves of Apple fans who literally only care that it’s apple and that instantly means it’s the best and everything else is garbage. I have a little sister who has been bullied at school because her phone is not an iPhone. Apple fans just take fanaticism to a level where they don’t see logic or care to make any actual argument. I clicked this article because it was about a watch I was interested in…I didn’t realize it was a baiting article or foresee the hate being thrown at it and I just think it’s funny that people are going to argue about two different products that have yet to be released and Apple fans acting like the Apple invented the smartwatch when they are actually pretty late to the game here.

    • sircheese69 - 9 years ago

      “There are droves and droves of Apple fans who literally only care that it’s apple and that instantly means it’s the best and everything else is garbage.”

      Truth and they deny this as well. Most of them are on the forums defending Apple like it’s…I don’t know what. And that they think Apple actually CARES for them? LOLOLOLOL!

    • pdoobs - 9 years ago

      this is a pretty embarrassing comments section. i’m also amazed at all of the apple watch experts, i didn’t realize it was released yet…

    • Perhaps you have briefly forgotten where you are making your comments. This is a site devoted to Apple products/news, i don’t think objectivity is an expected behavior. This should be a safe place for fans of Apple products to show their unwavering love and if they bash a competitor well it comes with the territory. Imagine visiting a New York Giants news site, I am pretty sure football fans who extoll the virtues of the Dallas Cowboys will not be as welcome.

      I am not sure how you found this story (perhaps a news aggregator), but I think your comments would hold more weight in a forum devoted to mobile products generally, as opposed to Apple specifically.

    • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

      While the Kimmel bit is funny, if you believe they are real and not manipulated then I feel you would be perfect for one of those bits. They are either scripted, or they seek out/only show the ridiculous answers. it’s for comic relief, not scientific or psychological experiments..

  22. charismatron - 9 years ago

    The funny thing about knock-offs is how they work on people’s minds: everyone knows they are trying to appear to be something better than they actually are–the Pebble Steels emulate Apple Editions.

    The end result re-enforces in the minds of both producers and consumers that while the Pebble Steel may be a satisfactory purchase it’s merely a clone and cannot be appreciated as one would the original and superior Apple Watch.

    This isn’t just true for this knock-off, it’s true for them all: the knock-off always references a much better product. People are essentialists, and at bottom crave the original product. This is why copies of paintings have no value compared to their originals. So, while the Pebble Steel may succeed at emulating the Apple Watch, it’s a far cry from the real thing. And with Apple Watches being readily available (whereas an original Van Gogh’s are not), the essentialist in us will eventually go in for the the original, the Apple Watch.

    In the end, knock-offs just remind everyone of how great the original is, so they’re really not something to get too upset about. In fact, they are very useful in that they make the original product and design stand out so much more.

  23. Joe - 9 years ago

    I love my pebble, but man…..dat bezel. I was hoping their next one would have a larger screen option, but it definitely does not. That’s a deal breaker for me. I love their screen technology, but man….such a waste of space.

  24. AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

    From now until April it’s going to be every flavor of “Don’t look at the Apple Watch, please don’t look at the Apple Watch” you can think of.

  25. Does it look familiar? Not at all. Nobody ever made a rectangular gold watch with a red strap before. Put the phrase “rectangular gold wrist watch red leather strap” into google Images and you will get nothing. Nothing at all before September 2014. This Longines watch from the 1980’s is obviously an Internet hoax: http://timerecs.com/inf/1785-longines_wrist_watch_mechanical_winding_swiss_14k_gold_case_square_face_50s_vtg.html

    Yeah, right.

  26. With the announcement of Bluetooth 4 compatibility the functionality of the Pebble just got a lot wider. I’m excited to be able to pair them with the tod Smart Beacons to connect my life even more.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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