Despite all of its missteps following its record-breaking Kickstarter run, Pebble has done quite well for itself post-crowd-funding. In addition to landing a retail deal with Best Buy, it announced in July that it had surpassed 275k pre-orders.
And now it’s taking things to a whole new level. AT&T, currently the United States’ second largest wireless carrier, announced today that it will begin offering the popular smartwatch online and in select brick-and-mortar stores this week…
From the press release:
“It’s time to rethink what a watch can be. As the most successful KickStarter campaign to date, the Pebble smartwatch extends control of your iOS or Android smartphone while giving you options to customize with apps for an active lifestyle. Beginning September 27, AT&T customers can purchase the Pebble for $150 at att.com and in select retail stores with broader availability expected in October.
“As the exclusive carrier for the hot new Pebble smartwatch, this innovative device adds to AT&T’s extensive lineup of industry leading accessories for today’s connected world,” said Michael Cowan, Director, Accessory Portfolio, AT&T Mobility. “This smartwatch is fun, practical, and easy to use. It is simple to see why people have been clamoring to get their hands on it.”
And AT&T already has an ad for it:
The deal is significant for a number of reasons. For one, it adds weight to the smartwatch space, which many still seem to be dismissing as a passing fad. And two, it helps Pebble reach many more customers in these valuable pre-Apple months.
Tim Cook and company are widely believed to be working on a smartwatch-like device of their own, having just picked up Nike FuelBand developer Jay Blahnik. But the product isn’t expected to launch until sometime in the second half of 2014.
As for the Pebble, AT&T will begin selling it online and in select stores this Friday, for $150.