Why I’m getting a Pebble Time and not an Apple Watch

Yesterday, I was totally on board with buying an Apple Watch when it was released.

Today, the Pebble Time launched on Kickstarter. I had to reevaluate my situation.

I’m a runner without a watch, and I’m hoping to run in a lot of races this year, so I knew I was in the market for a smart watch to help me keep a good running pace.

Yesterday, I was set on getting the Apple watch for a few reasons.

• I have owned an iPhone since January 2009, a MacBook Pro since June 2009, and have upgraded both recently to a iPhone 6 and the current MacBook Pro. I love my Apple products and love what is happening with continuity.
• As a runner, the heart rate monitor on the Apple Watch was a big plus.
• Apple Pay from my wrist sounded handy, but not a daily use feature.
• The price wasn’t too prohibitive at $349, since I was likely getting a sport version.

The Apple Watch isn’t perfect, though.

• Battery life seems to be in the range of 0.3 to 1 day, depending on use.
• The thickness is estimated around 12 mm, which is a bit larger than I’d like.
• Apple watch is water resistant, not water proof.

I know a few people with a Pebble, and they love it. Here are the pros of Pebble.

• The battery lasts for 7 days.
• The screen is easy to read
• The community is very strong. There are lots of apps that support Pebble, and it will likely grow over time.
• It’s water proof!

There is no perfect smart watch. Everything is a compromise. I’m going to miss the touch screen on the Apple Watch, but I can see myself also not missing it. Apple Watch has no slide to unlock gesture, or Touch ID, to prevent accidental input. I’ll miss the tight integration with my iPhone.

I won’t miss charging it every night, though.