Wearable enthusiasts who have been looking into buying a Pebble can now get it at a substantially lower cost. Prices for both the Pebble and Pebble Steel have been cut by US$50 (or GBP50 for those in the UK). New features have also been added through a software update and apps that reveal the Pebble’s intention to bridge the gap between smartwatch and fitness band.
The sudden price reduction is apparently a move by Pebble to remain competitive as more smartwatches are poised to enter the market. CEO Eric Migicovsky says that the company wants to “offer the right price” for the product, and despite the lower price the product is still selling well with a healthy eco-system. Considering that the Apple Watch and more Android Wear products are only set to turn up later this year, it looks to be a solid move for the company to reposition its price point.
Fitness is also another segment that Pebble is looking towards. While the original concept for the smartwatch included fitness tracking options, that hasn’t entirely made its presence felt on that area. A software update now allows fitness apps to run in the background; a feature that was missing from the original launch. This allows the smartwatch to now properly track steps taken and collect other information while the app is not on the main display.
Fitness apps Jawbone, Misfit, and Swim.com are all releasing updates for their Pebble apps to take advantage of this update. Whether this will convince people that Pebble can be used as a fitness band remains to be seen, although considering the low price point and ruggedness of the design it might has some people at least trying it out.
[Source: Engadget]
