Pebble Time Halted by Apple?

There was a post on Reddit that discussed the legalities of Apple preventing Pebble’s smartwatch from functioning. Some think that what Apple is doing is illegal and point out that they’re able to get away with certain things, while companies like Microsoft aren’t able to.

Now, the Pebble smartwatch was the product of $10.3 million being raised on Kickstarter. With a battery life of seven days and fifty meter water resistance, the device has sold over one million units. It’s successor, the Pebble Time, promises to capture the same sort of innovation the first Pebble smartwatch brought. It has a 4.0 Bluetooth, 1.25 inch color e-paper display, and 30 meter water resistance. However, trouble is brewing for the Pebble Time.

Indeed, the Pebble Time is equally as great as the Pebble smartwatch. According to a review by Gizmodo, the watch is all sorts of fun. “Part of that is awesome little cartoony animations throughout the interface that make the Pebble come alive.” The review said, “Dismissed notifications get all torn up by a cute little paper shredder. Replies are a paper aeroplane zipping away. Charge the watch and it gets a virtual coffee drip. A lazy sloth comes to visit if you don’t have anything scheduled on a given day.”

As great as the Pebble Time sounds, there is an issue that may prevent it’s release. The smartwatch utilizes Apple’s iOS software, and before the watch can go out, Apple has to approve the use of it. However, Apple has not approved of the iOS software required for the Pebble Time. To matters worse, it’s been forty-three days, and Apple has yet to budge.

Yahoo recently published that this wasn’t the first time that Apple has done to Pebble. “Pebble users got a scare when Apple removed some apps that worked with Pebble. That was a ‘mistake,’ according to Apple, but it rattled Pebble owners and potential future customers.” That’s damaging to the customer base for Pebble. If a product can’t deliver because of a few missing apps, then customers have no reason to purchase the product.

At the same time, website Mac Rumors stated that Pebble hasn’t shared the conversations between them and Apple. “It’s possible Pebble has violated an App Store rule leading to the delay,” They said, “but there’s also the possibility that Apple has opted not to approve the app as it competes with the Apple Watch.” Apple hasn’t said anything concerning the matter either. Other than the delays, they’ve said the software would be approved soon.

It’s unusual to see someone use Apple’s software for their own product, because everything that is Apple is meant for Apple products. But why delay the Pebble Time? Shouldn’t Apple be able to make some money off the iOS software being used for the smartwatch? What do you think of the situation? Should Apple budge and approve the software?