The rumors were true – Fitbit has officially acquired “specific assets of Pebble.” These include key personnel and intellectual property related to software and firmware, but notably does not include Pebble’s hardware products.
Earlier today we heard rumors that the Pebble Time 2 and Pebble Core were being cancelled, and that's now been confirmed by Pebble, which adds that backers will be refunded, and that the Pebble Time Round Kickstarter Edition has also been cancelled.
As post on the Pebble 2 Kickstarter page reads "Backers will get refunds for any unfulfilled rewards.
"We’ve shipped every Pebble 2 possible, but can’t say the same for the remaining rewards. Pebble Time 2, Pebble Core, and Pebble Time Round Kickstarter Editions will not go into final production."
Refunds will be made automatically over the next 4-8 weeks and no further orders will be accepted or fulfilled by Pebble's website.
If you already own a Pebble product the company stresses that it will continue to work as normal for now, but that functionality or service quality may be reduced in future. It's also worth noting that warranty support is no longer available.
A Fitbit for everyone
Fitbit claims that its purchase of Pebble will allow for the faster delivery of new products, features and functionality, and to expand Fitbit’s appeal to a wider set of consumers.
It notes that being able to make cross-platform devices is a key competitive advantage and that Pebble’s open, agnostic connected device operating system complements Fitbit’s own cross-platform compatibility.
Reading between the lines, and going by previous rumors, it’s likely that this acquisition could lead to new interfaces or operating systems on Fitbit’s products, along with the creation of smarter devices, that can compete more directly with Android Wear and the Apple Watch 2.
For Fitbit fans that sounds promising, but it seems like Pebble’s all out of time.
