Pebble Under the X-ray
We sent Pebble in for an X-Ray last week. It wasn't an emergency room visit; more of a routine check-up. After assembly, Pebble is sealed up against the elements. This is great for water-resistance but it makes it hard for us to check that each component inside Pebble is in the correct position.
After we reviewed initial plastics samples (Update 20), we've worked on several tooling modifications to improve the fit and finish of the plastic components. The largest pain has been the transparent lens. It's probably the most important mechanical element in the design (both from a structural as well as aesthetic perspective). To get it right, we've had to modify the steel tool a few times. Each new tooling variation is given a T_ name (we're currently working on T4).
Looking at Pebble under the x-rays revealed a problem: the charge contact pins on the left side of the case were being installed with a slant. The depth was also inconsistent. We fixed that in the tooling and T3 samples turned out much better under the rays!
As usual, we've posted high resolution images in this album. You can also check out an annotated x-ray that shows which parts are which!
Contest Results
More than 2000 of you sent in entries describing what kind of things you're looking forward to doing with your Pebble. Answers ranged from eloquent poetry (shout out to Robrecht Vandemeulebroecke!) to hazier responses ("I'm going to use it to do stuff"). Tons of time-travel references (crossing my fingers!!) to comics ("I'm going to give Commissioner Gordon a much quicker way to contact me in an emergency"). After some deep internal discussion, we've decided upon the winners.
Top 3
- "Place my phone under my FLAK Jacket to protect it and control the music from the watch while I am deployed to Afghanistan." From Dana Charter
- "My adult son, who is Deaf and autistic, will use it while in his apartment so he doesn't have to always carry his cell phone on him. Another piece of peace of mind for his mom." From Rebecca Sharad
- "I will read my texts whie spear-fishing. Yeah, I spear-fish." From Stephen Grubb
Seven other amazing entries were sent in from: Adam Graham, Charlie Lewandowski, Claudia King, Colton Fent, James Cha, jay l rosen, Jeff Coulter
Winners: please send us a Kickstarter message with your t-shirt size and colour preference (red or dark grey)
Tidbits from the Pebble World
- We're getting ready for another test-build. Scheduled for next week. The test will include some test equipment like our custom flexible printed circuit (FPC) test fixture.
- We have confirmation from our primary component supplier that the vast majority of our components have departed Arizona, flying towards Hong Kong and ultimately Dongguan, China. There are more than 110 electronic components inside each Pebble. It's been a lot of fun finding 85,000 sets of everything!
- Received great-looking samples of the shipper box back from a supplier. This is the box that protects your Pebble during shipping. We'll be doing a 100 pcs shipping test to make sure that looks are not deceiving and that the box holds up. Our factory will also do environmental (water) and drop-tests with the box.
Thanks again everyone!
Eric + Pebble team
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HACKER SPECIAL You'll get early access to the SDK and we'll send you a prototype Pebble in August so you can get started coding. You will also receive another Pebble in any color when the full batch ships. Free shipping to USA. (Add $20 for shipping to Canada, $30 for international shipping.)
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DISTRIBUTOR PACK Ten Pebbles in any color (choose from Arctic White, Cherry Red, Voter's choice or Jet Black). Free shipping to USA. (Add $10 for shipping to Canada, $15 for international shipping.)
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CUSTOM WATCHFACE Let us create a custom watchface precisely to your specifications! Send us your ideas and we'll design a watchface just for you. You'll also receive 5 Color Pebble watches so you and your friends can share the fun. Free shipping to USA. (Add $10 for shipping to Canada, $15 for international shipping.)
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MEGA DISTRIBUTOR PACK One Hundred Pebbles in any color (choose from Arctic White, Cherry Red, Voter's choice or Jet Black). Free shipping to USA. (Add $10 for shipping to Canada, $15 for international shipping.)
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012
Comments
Creator Peter van der Giessen on December 3
Please keep the updates coming. I'll be delighted when the big delivery day occurs however as a backer I realise that development delays happen as people request enhancements and features which were not originally in your projections.
Make this watch a good and reliable V1.0 and focus on the positives.
And if funding backers don't understand that these delays can happen and want out, there should be an Exchange for them to allow keen backers to buy their production spot. No point in having people onboard who don't want t be there.
Good work, Eric and the Team.
Have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Creator Malcolm Wardlaw on November 24, 2012
I doubt this thing will get State side by Christmas, but itsa no big deal. Thanks for the timely updates.
Creator Caffeine Junkie on November 23, 2012
@Micheal Merchant: Better late than never, but just seen this comment and felt compelled to respond.
1. You can't get a refund unless the project fails. It has not.
2. Pebble watch stated early on that they couldn't do iPhone SMS. At that point neither could Metawatch. Then Apple added MAP and that is what Metawatch are using. Pebble have said they have been working to incorporate a MAP handler. Watch this space.
Creator Skip Stein on November 18, 2012
Someone else commented and asked if we will get our Pebbles before the Mayan Doomsday of December 22, 2012? Since we are also celebrating my oldest Grandson's 18th birthday that day (his B-day is the 23rd), I had planned to give him the Pebble as a wondrous present. Between doomsday and the birthday, it is getting important to know IF I have to visit Sony or not? I hope not, been waiting for this for a long time and have never done anything like this before. Only have two coming but sure hope they get here on time.
Skip Stein
Management Systems Consulting, Inc.
Creator Michael Merchant on November 12, 2012
I agree with Cliff. The Metawatch is estimated to ship soon and if you are an iPhone user it will show SMS. Pebble Watch states they cannot do that. Considering a refund as soon as it ships and prefer the MetaWatch. 2 months is way too long.
Creator Cliff on November 11, 2012
Have to agree with a few others here. It is two months passed the projects estimated delivery. While it takes a lot of work to make the product and to ensure it ships safely, we should be kept informed of when the updated delivery timeframes are.
Starting to lose interest and consider other options, considering we "bought" it in April, paid for it in May and still have nothing in hand to benefit from that long time.
Creator David Woolaston on November 10, 2012
2 months late. And no sign of delivery yet. This watch had better have gone from great, to fan-freaking amazing and far exceed every expectations. Or there had better be a refund option.
Creator KM Segaar on November 10, 2012
It would be great to receive the Pebble before the holidays. Can't wait to use it for my marathon training:)
Creator Randy Holley on November 9, 2012
Hello Eric and the Pebble team! I know you are all working hard and look forward to receiving a quality product! It is almost 10:30 Eastern Time and I am wondering if you will post an update today. Thanks.
Creator David MacDonald on November 9, 2012
UPDATE DAY!
I want my Pebble before Christmas. Not to give to anyone else, just to show off to all the friends and family that I'll see. :-)
Creator miwait00 on November 9, 2012
update day!
can't wait :)
Creator Kailan D'Arcy on November 9, 2012
So predictable that as xmas got closer the dream of the Pebble arriving before then would get more vocal. Like many it would be great to have my watch by then but not at the expense of its quality. Keep up the good work guys, looking forward to the next update and finally getting my watch when it's ready.
Creator Henry Win on November 8, 2012
We appreciated your great effort, but we support your project because of your abilities, your dreams, your talents, your honest, and your innovations.
We know about DAM where you work with people as well. The time-line that kickstarter people estimated should be more or less differences.
Pls. make sure that it can be delivered before christmas.
Thank you.
Creator Akshay Kohli on November 8, 2012
It'll be 2 weeks tomorrow! Looking forward to hear some progress! I want this to be my Christmas present!!!!!!!
Creator Tony on November 8, 2012
Before Xmas delivery? Can we get some sort of ETA? I think we deserve at least that much.
Creator Thomas De Smet on November 8, 2012
I'd rather wait a few more weeks and get a better product ! More info doesn't hurt, that's true.
Regards.
T.
Creator Steven W. Barsi on November 8, 2012
Me waiting for my Pebble product is like you pebble people waited for my credit card to clear so you could TRUST me really paying for it..... waiting for my credit card to be checked-out took you pebble people just a few seconds. Now you Pebble people can Tru$t my honest part of this tran$action. Can we really Tru$t your hone$t part of this tran$action... we've waited month$. BEFORE the projected arrival date, and more month$ AFTER the projected arrival date.
If members of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) attempted to purcha$e your product, would they tru$t you Pebble people? I wonder if I should a$k the BBB?
Creator russell johnson on November 8, 2012
agree, estimated september, its now november and i dont know when to expect.. please advise
Creator John Losee on November 8, 2012
Can we please get some kind of estimate on when this thing is going to ship? It is unacceptable to just not provide this information.
Creator lecorvaisier cedric on November 8, 2012
Bonjour à toute l'équipe pebble,
Merci de l'intérêt que vous porter pour finaliser le produit avec une très bonne fiabilité et de bon matériaux, afin que nous ne soyons pas déçu de notre petite merveille.
Prenez votre temps pour la commercialiser, mais pas trop quand même...lol.
Pour Noël se serait super, avec un petit cadeau à l'intérieur , genre un bracelet d'une couleur différente pour la montre ou un beau t-shirt pour l'attente assez longue. Nous allons arrivé avec un minimum de 3 mois de retard.
Faites pou le mieux.
Creator 威廉小杨 on November 8, 2012
I'm wondering if I may still receive my Pebble before the Doomsday 'cause for international shipping it takes a loooooooooooooooong time
Creator Evaristo Ramos on November 7, 2012
Waiting for my Pebble is like watching Romney having run for president, lmao
too soon?
thanks for the update in all seriousness I greatly appreciate the update.
Creator Charles on November 7, 2012
This project does need to move forward at a faster pace...
Creator Roxana on November 7, 2012
Just went crazy trying to find an estimated completion date.. then started reading the below comments and realized everyone else in the world is wondering the same thing! Even if its going to be another year, it would be nice to let your customers know.. especially since they are the ones that supported you along the way.
Creator Corey Melton on November 6, 2012
i just got my Simple.TV and it is a total piece of crap. They shouldn't have started shipping for 2 or 3 more months IMO. PLEASE DO NOT send me a pebble until it is in perfect working order. I HATE my Simple.TV and so does everyone in their forums, PLEASE learn from their mistake and do this thing right!
Creator Dino on November 6, 2012
waiting a product for half year and 2 months delay, really a bad case of crowd funding and project management. maybe next time when i teach PM, could tell my students abt this case.
Creator Ryan Ricci on November 6, 2012
I, and I am guessing a "few" others, would like some soft estimates of shipments. The quantity increase I understand could push back the ship dates. As we enter November we still have 0 indication of when this may reach us. I expected October but now it seems the feeling is okay if they miss 2012 shipments. I don't think that going into 2013 is something that many were expecting, and should be stated now if that is the case.
Creator Kelvin Ching on November 6, 2012
Doubt this is gonna reach our hands by Christmas but nevertheless, will be waiting for a miracle. Go pebble! Show us some magic with your massive orders.
Creator Karl Robstad on November 5, 2012
Seriously, any chance of shipping before Christmas please? This was supposed to be a gift and I thought 3 months lead time would be fine... this is getting out of control. So disappointed because I was so excited about this, but now I'm about to disappoint a loved one... this suckkkkkssss.
Creator Douglas Bailey on November 5, 2012
@Lee. Even if you write off your investment, your watch will still arrive. May I have it?
For those who are waiting. Just do your best to forget about it and it will be a nice surprise when it's ready. The have to produce about 100x the quantity they initially expected and if they are going to put thousands out there, they need to make damn sure they do a good job or it will be the end of them. Good things come to those who wait.
Creator ZippyFund Inc. on November 5, 2012
Apparently excess funding to this magnitude does not equal prompt delivery...
Creator Jason kenny on November 5, 2012
Are we really meant to feel bad about wanting to know when we are going to get our pebbles just because we are backers and not buyers? I'm glad they are going to make the best product possible and I don't mind that the delivery date has slipped a little but if the money was coming from a bank they would have been given a deadline and there would have been penalties for missing that deadline.
I understand that kick starter is something new and it isn't a shop but I really think this tech will be out of date if it doesn't ship this year.
It's just a shame because the 'buzz' I felt about the pebble all those months ago when I ordered (one of the first few thousand...) has gone.
It's no biggie, just took the edge off.
Creator Nick Stanbridge on November 5, 2012
I think "Lee"'s comment from about 3 days ago is hilarious! "I don't read any of your updates, but I am really angry that there aren't enough updates!"
This is the best kickstarter project I've come across and, personally, I'm really happy with the level of interaction we've had from the developers. Keep up the good work guys :D
*good things come to those who wait!*
Creator mig1985 on November 5, 2012
you are still interested in an pebble shirt?
here you go: http://www.pebble-smartwatch.de/pebble-smartwatch-de-t-shirt/
Creator Beagle on November 4, 2012
Loving the attention to detail, but this is quickly going to be 'last year's tech' before we even get it on the wrist. It's as if some of these production steps have come as a surprise to the developers - but haven't they been through most of this before?
Creator Shelley Travis Friesen on November 4, 2012
Thanks for the update. I, too, was hoping this would make it to me in time for a Christmas or birthday present (both happening in December). However, getting the best product possible is far more important.
If any of the other investors wish to jump ship, I am willing to buy them out! There are a few others I could give a Pebble to - including myself.
Keep the updates coming. If you have an idea what the new shipping date might be, add a month to it and let us know! ;^)
Creator jean-luc on November 4, 2012
Great I Wait this !
Creator Christopher Nies on November 3, 2012
Thanks for making the Pebble as awesome as you can, guys.
Creator JB Christy on November 3, 2012
Thanks for the update, Pebble Team! I've funded several Kickstarter projects, and you guys are BY FAR the most reliable about updates. I too am a little sorry that delivery has slipped substantially. But I understand the nature of startups, and I really, really appreciate your commitment to making the 1.0 product robust and reliable. Normally I'd say "I can't wait for delivery!", but the truth is I can wait. I'm much happier getting a robust product later than a sketchy product that was rushed to market. I vote for taking your time and getting it right. That said, if you wanted to acknowledge the schedule slippage, maybe you could toss in a little extra perk in the first deliveries. Maybe a spare band of a different color or a free app or something? No matter to me, but it might help other folks feel a little better.
Good luck with all your hard work, and thanks for the frequent, detailed updates! It's fun to feel so connected to this product!
Creator Bill on November 3, 2012
@Lee Are you serious?!?!? Maybe you should go back and read! If you look at the top you'll notice that this is update #22 and it just came out last week! How is that not keeping the backers updated? And as others have stated, you did not purchase something from an online store. You funded a START-UP project. Big difference! If you do go back and actually read (as you admitted you didn't), you might see how much work is going into this project. It's not just press a couple buttons and they spit out instantly from an assembly line. These watches are being built from the ground up. Their initial timeline was for September. It's only just November. That's only two months behind. For a project that went much bigger than anyone anticipated, that's not too bad. Time to write this one off??? Dude, give your head a shake.
Creator Lee on November 2, 2012
Haven't taken the time to read all of theses blogs, but it took me a long time to even find information. VERY disappointing that the project is so far behind and that Pebble and KickStarter don't have a mechanism and/or requirement to keep backers (funders) updated on current status. How many people paid $100 or more for one of these that were promised by September? How many have been delivered? Sorry, but I fear it's time to write this one off.
Creator matt on November 2, 2012
What is the latest update...??
Creator Dennis Simonin on November 2, 2012
Your priorities are mine: the best product as soon as possible, but definitely the BEST product. Thank you.
Creator Dawid Piaskowski on November 1, 2012
I hope to get Pebble this year... Fingers crossed :-)
Creator Hesham on November 1, 2012
I would like to say that I am very supportive of the project and although I completely understand the delays associated with a development of this magnitude, I would have preferred that the Pebble team would have consulted with more experienced manufacturers to understand the scope of the project and the difficulties that they are certain to face prior to making delivery announcements or promises. Initially this was a pet project, but it is way beyond that now and should be taken seriously along with our concerns as stakeholders in this project. I wish the team the best and hope that they surprise us in the near future.
Creator Shrikant Ganduri on November 1, 2012
I am happy that the project is being taken through all the tests. But I feel we have overshot the timelines too badly. The desperation to have Peble on the wrist is turning into frustration.
Any specific deadlines we have for the deliveries?
Creator Hugo Beaulieu on November 1, 2012
Keep up the good work guys, it ships when it's ready and we'll be super happy when it does :) Great progress reports so far too, can't ask much more from you guys!
Creator Thomas Lo on October 31, 2012
Hi Pebble team,
Just wondering if your shipment can catch up with my Christmas present plan. It really awesome if I can give it to my love.
Creator Dave on October 31, 2012
Love the recent update. It's cool to be on the "inside" of such a major undertaking. Keep up the good work, and don't spend too much time fretting over the whiners here! A certain percentage of the population is just going to be that way, regardless of what you do.
Creator NeoTechni on October 30, 2012
How about a demo app so we can test our intents on?