These kinds of deals are very familiar with Microsoft as the company knows it has to be aggressive when winning over clients.
SMARTWRAP PEBBLE WINDOWS
Keep in mind, the plan I am told was for Microsoft to develop the app, including eating all costs associated within, and even to help Pebble keep Windows Phone app parity long-term with continued support. Even Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was unable to persuade him personally. Particularly with those under 30 (see Snapchat's Evan Spiegel for a similar attitude). Growing up in a world where Google and Apple have dominated the mobile scene, this perception that Microsoft is old and out of touch is seemingly more frequent these days. The young entrepreneur reportedly nixed any partnership. There is just one problem: Pebble founder and CEO Eric Migicovsky.ĭespite Microsoft's attempts to win over Pebble, Migicovsky is reportedly not a fan of the company nor their mobile operating system. Long term, Microsoft would even be in an ideal position to acquire Pebble, should the private company want to go down that path. Pebble gets a resilient partner Microsoft works with a spritely, "disruptive" tech company. To my mind, this all sounds like a brilliant plan.
SMARTWRAP PEBBLE FREE
AT&T is continuing their promotion of bundling the Lumia 830 with a free Fitbit flex and Fitbit products are cross-promoted and sold in all Microsoft Stores. To see a similar strategy in action, look no further than Microsoft fitness darling Fitbit.
SMARTWRAP PEBBLE ANDROID
Pebble would continue to work with Apple and its Android partners, but Microsoft and their Windows Phone would be more favored. The overarching angle being leveraged was Microsoft needed a smartwatch strategy, and Pebble needed a company with deep pockets to lean on. We are told that plans to help distribute Pebble in Microsoft Stores (online and physical), connecting with carriers to co-sell Windows Phones with new Pebble watches, and more were all being considered as strategies.Ĭortana integration was even being looked at as a break though technology for Pebble and a way for Microsoft to get a foot in the door on iOS and Android. Pebble partnering up with Microsoft would seem like a safe bet should things get too heavy with Android and Apple. The problem was Google and Apple were looming in the distance as both companies were preparing to jump in on the wearable market.
This willingness to partner with Pebble was admirable, but in the end it failed for one main reason: Pebble's management.Īs a company, Pebble was riding a lucky wave of positive press and an increasingly loyal fan base. Redmond bends over backward to win over a company's business. Anyone who has worked with Windows Phone evangelists, their management and even – at the time – Nokia employees share the same impression. My sources tell me that Microsoft was very cooperative with the Pebble group. This was the plan, and we are told an official announcement for a Windows Phone Pebble app was being pushed for Build 2014 with the app due sometime later that year.
The only thing that remained between the two companies were the details of the partnership.
We hear that Microsoft made quite the impression by delivering a well-polished, entirely functional app so quickly. The only thing that was missing was the recently announced Pebble Store, but seeing as Microsoft could not have access to many of its components, it was an easy thing to overlook. Instead, we are told they designed an entire Pebble app themselves with nearly complete functionality. Just a few months later in spring 2014, Microsoft did not deliver a barebones app that could sync as requested.
Pebble could not build an app for Windows Phone on their own, but with Microsoft taking control anything was possible.
SMARTWRAP PEBBLE BLUETOOTH
Windows Phone 8.1 brought many new APIs to the table, including better Bluetooth Smart support (devices with 4.0 or higher specifications, low-energy support, and updatability). In late 2013, only Windows Phone 8.0 was available on the market with the promise of 8.1 later that spring.
0 kommentar(er)
