The Pebble smartwatch began as a computer for cyclists

Y Combinator partner and Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky joins us to talk wearables and startups... while playing Mario Kart 64

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The Pebble smartwatch began as a computer for cyclists

Published: 8:30pm, 14 Dec 2018Updated: 10:48pm, 6 Aug 2020

Smartwatches are in an odd place right now. The Apple Watch is a success, and Samsung is soldiering on with their Tizen-based wearables, but Android Wear is floundering and few other manufacturers are investing in new smartwatches.

Eric Migicovsky sees hope out there. “You can only use an Apple Watch with iPhones, right? Presumably Android users have to use something.”

Migicovsky knows a little thing or two about smartwatches. He was the founder and CEO of Pebble, the first true smartwatch success.

The little plastic watch was a revelation. Far from the thick, heavy wearables we later saw -- devices that celebrated tech journalist Walt Mossberg once dubbed “celibacy bands” -- the Pebble did more with less. It was small and light, and used an e-ink screen to deliver the time and notifications without rapidly draining the battery.

Pebble smashed records on Kickstarter. Over five years after their original crowdfunding campaign, it’s still the fifth-highest funded project on the site. (Two of the top three today are also Pebble projects.)

How did it begin? Migicovsky’s original idea wasn’t to build a smartwatch. He wanted to build a computer for bicycles.