Best Buy begins taking Pebble Time preorders in retail push against Apple Watch
U.S. retailer Best Buy on Monday launched preorders of the Pebble Time, signalling the first opportunity to buy the smartwatch for those who didn't back the project on Kickstarter, just days after the Apple Watch became available at Apple's own retail stores.
Best Buy is selling red, white, and black versions of the Time for $200 each. Current shipping estimates call for orders to be delivered by July 20. The company has yet to say when the Watch will be available for in-store shopping.
Although the Time is less fashion-oriented than the Apple Watch, and lacks features like a heart rate sensor or a touchscreen, it offers some advantages including an always-on color e-paper display and seven-day battery life. It's also water-resistant to a depth of 98 feet, meaning it can be worn while swimming or in the shower.
Unlike either the Watch or Android Wear devices, the Time can be paired with both iOS and Android phones. It's also one of the few options available to iPhone 4S owners, since the Apple Watch requires an iPhone 5 or later.
Pebble's Kickstarter campaign for the Time rapidly became the most successful ever, breaking the $1 million barrier in 49 minutes and ultimately surpassing $20.3 million. In May, though, a report claimed that Pebble was having trouble securing venture capital funding.
Best Buy is selling red, white, and black versions of the Time for $200 each. Current shipping estimates call for orders to be delivered by July 20. The company has yet to say when the Watch will be available for in-store shopping.
Although the Time is less fashion-oriented than the Apple Watch, and lacks features like a heart rate sensor or a touchscreen, it offers some advantages including an always-on color e-paper display and seven-day battery life. It's also water-resistant to a depth of 98 feet, meaning it can be worn while swimming or in the shower.
Unlike either the Watch or Android Wear devices, the Time can be paired with both iOS and Android phones. It's also one of the few options available to iPhone 4S owners, since the Apple Watch requires an iPhone 5 or later.
Pebble's Kickstarter campaign for the Time rapidly became the most successful ever, breaking the $1 million barrier in 49 minutes and ultimately surpassing $20.3 million. In May, though, a report claimed that Pebble was having trouble securing venture capital funding.
Comments
They offer pre-orders for the little 50 cent toy dispenser products now? How interesting.
Doesn't offer very good integration with iOS so it's somewhat pointless for them.
Ahhh...Best Buy, a Circuit City in the making. Good luck with that. I was in a BB yesterday for maybe 5 minutes and heard 3 people ask where the Apple watches were.
I have an Apple Watch and love it.
BUT... this weekend I visited the Apple store in NYC (5th Ave). While the overall store was packed with people (good), the display of Apple Watches had almost nobody looking at them. People were using the display cases as furniture, just leaning against them.
This was disappointing. I've been very happy with my Watch and use it every day, but there was very little interest in the NYC retail shoppers for the Watch.
Ahhh...Best Buy, a Circuit City in the making. Good luck with that. I was in a BB yesterday for maybe 5 minutes and heard 3 people ask where the Apple watches were.
The Best Buys I've seen lately are half empty shells of a store trying to remain relevant in today's world of on-line buying and megastores (which I hate). They are pushing Samsung more than Apple, probably because they are getting more kickbacks from Samsung and none from Apple (who doesn't need to). Their display racks for everything are messy and difficult to find accessories for specific phone models. The telltale sign is the constant line at the Geek Squad counter, with people regularly returning products or trying to get them fixed. Yes, Apple has the Genius Bar but I see that as being more of an instructional area than the repair counter at Best Buy. I'm surprised Apple is even allowing them to be distributors. Maybe Apple could simply buy out what remains of Best Buy and create satellite Apple Stores where there aren't any nearby. My closest Apple Store is 68 miles away while the nearest Best Buy is only 20. Of course, this store is not located in the same type of area other Apple Stores are located in but it is near a Costco, which does have a nice Apple product display.
I have an Apple Watch and love it.
BUT... this weekend I visited the Apple store in NYC (5th Ave). While the overall store was packed with people (good), the display of Apple Watches had almost nobody looking at them. People were using the display cases as furniture, just leaning against them.
This was disappointing. I've been very happy with my Watch and use it every day, but there was very little interest in the NYC retail shoppers for the Watch.
Same here, at the Paramus store in NJ. They haven't really figured out how to sell this properly, being the first device with so many options (between metals, case sizes, bands, band sizes, there hundreds of permutations). Along with the fact that they can't lock them down and alarm them like every other devices, the Watches are need a guided tour for consumers, which is the opposite of the otherwise very open "explore on your own" design of the store. I can type on a MacBook, pick up an iPhone or iPad, and use them just like I would if I owned them. But I cannot put the watch on my wrist without a Specialist unlocking the case.
If Ahrendts thinks this is the first step to bringing luxury selling to Apple Retail, it's the wrong move for a tech company.
But ultimately, its quite likely simply the security issue.
Designed by Fisher-Price. The same people who designed Windows XP's default desktop theme.
Display case... And that's kind of the problem. Look but don't touch. The Apple Store is normally a place to get your hands on and use Apple products. But not the watch. Yes, I did the try-on appointment the watches are locked into a demo mode. I understand why, but it limits your exposure to the software until you actually buy one, and that sucks because to use one is to fall in love with it.
In contrast, my first time in the Apple Store was in 2007 the day the iPhone launched. They had working iPhones that you could use, including working SIM cards. Guests were making test calls (I did too). They would call someone and say: "Hey guess what? I'm at the Apple Store calling you from an iPhone!" and it was the coolest thing ever. I used the iPhone in the store that day for 45 minutes before walking out with one. If Apple can replicate that with the Watch, the Retail stores will actually close more sales deals. That's my opinion.
I like the idea of the Apple Watch, but not enough to spend 400 bucks on a band. Maybe I'll look again in the fall after WatchOS 2.0 drops and more third party bands are available.
Another gadget watch made in Taiwan... At least this one is not pretending to be anything else like The apple watch is.
Whoever preorders these in the pictures probably has something wrong in his head.
The try-on sessions are low-key. Nobody is trying to sell you the Watch. The little portable kiosks let you play with a Watch to interact directly with all its functions. I think Apple has nailed the presentation of the Watch in stores. It's a somewhat specialized interface, and so to give the best presentation requires having an associate on hand to guide and answer questions and offer suggestions. That's why you won't soon see the Apple Watch on sale at Best Buy.
By the way, I've been into Best Buy a couple times since buying my Apple Watch. Held next to any of the many smartwatches and fitness bands available for sale there, you will quickly see the major difference in design and quality of the Apple Watch versus the array of junk on offer from the rest. The Microsoft band is a joke, the Motorola 360 is truly a hockey puck (see pic I snapped where it takes up the entire width of the back of my hand), and the rest are cheap plastic toys. In time, a clear winner will emerge and the rest will fade into obscurity.
Apple releasing their Watch
Every other smartwatch on the market slipping to DOA status
Until someone makes an *actual* direct competitor to the Apple Watch, it'll be the Apple Watch and then the also-rans.
wow. The Moto3600 looks like a total POS next to the Apple watch.
And Fandroids praised that 360 was the best Android smartwatch. You see...when a geek thinks about style, he thinks of Moto360 which is an ugly ass of hardware.
are your stores different than our stores? besides the display cases, there are half a dozen working demo units (permanently mounted to ipad minis) that allow you to futz around with the OS as much as you want. no demo mode.
did you not see these?
Are those seriously the new Pebble watches in the picture? They look like something you could win in the Claw Machine at Denny's.
I have the original Pebble and love it. I think i'd love the Apple watch too, but at 350$ I can't be sure. At 99$ I was happy to try the Pebble and it does the two functions I want: the time, and vibrating and showing my notifications (I'm hearing impaired, so I don't always hear it, and don't always feel it on my belt pouch). It works for me. Now I'm not sold on buying a Pebble Time - I'd like to see what the App makers can do with it. But I'm not going to be investing further until the segment shows me what I can do that'll extend my life beyond looking at notifications. The Pebble does what I need personally.
At first, I saw Pink Floyd and went "WOW!". Then I saw the Watch and I went "WTF??".
They really do look sad. I don't know about the functionality, but half the battle is lost based on the looks. Price and functionality will be the deciding factor here I guess.
Unrelated question: Does the Apple Watch show artwork of the music currently being played on it?