Pebble Founder Warns of Limited iPhone Compatibility for Revived Smartwatch (ericmigi.com) 26
Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky has warned that the company's revived smartwatch line will face significant functionality limitations when paired with iPhones, blaming Apple's restrictive policies that favor its own Apple Watch. "It's impossible for a 3rd party smartwatch to send text messages, or perform actions on notifications (like dismissing, muting, replying) and many, many other things," Migicovsky wrote in a blog post, adding that the situation has "actually gotten worse over the last 8 years."
A 2024 class action lawsuit cited in the post claims Apple has added further restrictions since iOS 13, including requiring users to display full content previews on their lock screens for notifications to reach third-party watches. Pebble is still developing an iOS app because 40% of potential customers use iPhones, he said. Migicovsky warned that the watch will "always appear to have less developed functionality on iOS than Android" and some features will arrive on Android first.
A 2024 class action lawsuit cited in the post claims Apple has added further restrictions since iOS 13, including requiring users to display full content previews on their lock screens for notifications to reach third-party watches. Pebble is still developing an iOS app because 40% of potential customers use iPhones, he said. Migicovsky warned that the watch will "always appear to have less developed functionality on iOS than Android" and some features will arrive on Android first.
Not for long (Score:3)
Re: Not for long (Score:1)
The EU so far doesn't appear to do much, if anything, about malicious compliance, so I wouldn't count on that until something changes.
Anyways, cue well known appletologists like Archie Bunker and NoMoreAcs to go on about how it's better this way, the virtues of vendor lock-in and walled gardens as they flash their 8" apple logo tramp stamps.
Re: (Score:1)
Apple users are not typically complaining about "lock in". It's all the non Apple users that are bitching.
Re: Not for long (Score:2)
They that base would probably never adopt Apple even if it was unlocked.
Re: (Score:3)
The "bitching" I myself do against Apple involves their shitty web browser. It's a total turd, which is on purpose, and they do that for the exact same reason that Microsoft did this with Internet Explorer 25 years ago: They (correctly) viewed the web as a threat to native applications. By forcing web developers to stick to the lowest common demonator, they also negatively impact web browsers on other platforms that ultimately have to deal with the same limitations, which is again, deliberate. Microsoft's b
Re: (Score:1)
Yeah, I dunno. I use it all day long. Seems to work just fine.
Re: Not for long (Score:2)
Yeah that's what you guys said about internet explorer too.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=... [youtube.com]
iFans always think that whatever they have, no matter how much of a POS it really is, is the best out there.
Re: (Score:1)
Never claimed that Safari (or anything else from Apple) is "the best", merely that it seems to work just fine.
I don't need the best web browser on the planet. I just need something that lets me look at web pages. Safari seems to fit the bill just fine. If it doesn't work for you, here are many non-Apple products from which to choose.....most of them I've never even heard of.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Clearly people using apple are generally ok with the lock in, otherwise the would stop using apple. But that is selection bias, it also does not make it right. Most people who buy cars with car keys cost hundreds of dollars are generally ok with that to, but it doesn't mean the like it its just a relatively small problem. It doesn't make it right. If even 1 apple user wishes to connect a third party watch to THEIR iphone, it should be their right to do so and apple should not have the right to nerf it.
My da
The old days (Score:2)
I remember back in the old days of yesterday when people were saying "Apple isn't anticompetitive! Why is the EU blah blah blah"
THIS is why.
Things are looking up then! (Score:3)
Things are looking up - I turn all that crap off on my watch. It's already all happening on my phone which is likely in my pocket or on the desk, I don't need it on my watch as well.
Now... what can the pebble do that a garmin can't? There are a few things I could think of:
- stand up reminders like apple do it (movement reminders on garmin are okay, but not very good - apple do it a bit better, pebble could do even better)
- running stride length measurement as you're running
- Make the 'stair climbs' counter alter the number required daily (like the step counter does)
I'd like to see the total activity time when it flashes up lap times too.
Re: (Score:2)
LG had a short-lived sport watch that could detect your workouts and quite accurately measure details about your workout. Including your stride length when running, but way more interesting was the ability to determine weight lifting activities AND accurately measure the weight you are lifting. I would love to find a similar watch, but I think patents are going to lock that up for another 5-10 years
Re: (Score:2)
It's already all happening on my phone which is likely in my pocket or on the desk, I don't need it on my watch as well.
Strange view. The fact that my phone is in my pocket or on my desk is why I actually like getting the notifications on my wrist. No need to reach for my phone.
Re: (Score:1)
But hey, Germany did produce Hitler.
Contrary Opinion (Score:3)
Likely to be an unpopular opinion, but I understand some of this.
I personally wouldn't enjoy fielding the panicked tech support phone calls from family members when they grant the $5 Bluetooth speaker they bought on Temu permission to send SMS, and it phishes all of their contacts. The Apple Walled Garden is a feature for many of their customers, not a bug.
The notification stuff is harder to justify.
Apple users don't want your stupid watch (Score:1)
Just go develop for Android and call it good.
Re: (Score:2)
They claim 40% of their potential customers are on iOS. Given that the market in the US is split roughly down the middle, that shows that Apple users are only a bit less likely than Android users to want their stupid watch.
Re: (Score:1)
"Potential customers". That just means people who are it currently their customers. It doesn't mean people who actually want their product.
Re: (Score:2)
But they clearly think their is as market for their watch with apple users, and I am more likely to believe they actually did market research into it than you did.
Re: Apple users don't want your stupid watch (Score:2)
They wouldn't be doing an apple version of the app without some evidence that it was worth it to bother.
Re: (Score:1)
Right. Because nobody ever takes a shot shopping for the best.
Where are these legions of Apple customers begging for a Pebble watch?
Re: (Score:2)
Right. Because nobody ever takes a shot shopping for the best.
What?
Where are these legions of Apple customers begging for a Pebble watch?
Why do you imagine you should be able to identify them while gazing into your navel?
Same old, same old .... (Score:1)
Someone wants to make an easy profit off the coat-tails of Apple's success and then cries foul when Apple doesn't make it easy or possible to integrate some of what it does with their third party product.
When it comes to smartphones, none of this would even be much of an issue if we had a number of competitors in that space. It's the fact almost everyone is using either an Android-based phone or an Apple iPhone that causes this fixation on demanding Apple open things up for people.
Personally? I wish Microso
Re:Same old, same old .... (Score:4, Insightful)
Someone wants to make an easy profit off the coat-tails of Apple's success
Why can't complementary products exist? You wouldn't consider a train timetable app parasitic. In fact, my local train network encourages such apps so that they don't have to do it themselves. Businesses can build co-operating products.
In fact, when the Pebble first came out its notification handling was better on iOS than Android because Apple specifically made it easy. Pebble, Fitbit, and Garmin paved the way for smart-watches. Once the hard work was done, then Apple produced their own. And what a coincidence, everything gets locked down for third-party watches.
Nobody is complaining that they don't make things easy. They're complaining that they make it impossible because they compete with Apple.