Eric Migicovsky, the creator of the original Pebble smartwatch, has said Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS restrictions stifle innovation and make building third-party wearables a painful uphill battle.
What Happened: "They've gotten more restrictive! If you could believe it," Migicovsky told Fortune. "They've removed the ability to do the hack that we used to send SMS from Pebble on iOS."
Migicovsky, who this week announced two new Pebble smartwatches--the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2--says developers are facing even greater hurdles than they did a decade ago.
While he acknowledged Pebble will build an iOS app, he warned users not to expect Apple Watch-level integration.
See Also: Apple CEO Tim Cook Took Home $74.6 Million In 2024, Up 18% Despite AI And Siri Privacy Controversies
"There is no way for us to support all the functionality that Apple Watch has access to," he wrote in a blog post, citing that Pebble users can't reply to notifications, send texts, or even maintain a connection if the app is closed in the background.
"Apple claims their restrictions on competitors are only about security, privacy, crafting a better experience etc etc. At least that's what they tell you as they tuck you into bed," Migicovsky said.
"I personally don't agree--they're clearly using their market power to lock consumers into their walled ecosystem."
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Why It's Important: Migicovsky's criticism echoes growing frustration among developers--similar to comments made by Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Earlier this year, Zuckerberg criticized Apple for its restrictive policies and lack of innovation during an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast.
He suggested that Apple’s practices, such as the 30% App Store commission, hinder competition and innovation.
“They’ve just thoroughly hamstrung the ability for anyone else to build something that can connect to the iPhone in the same way,” he stated at the time, adding, “Apple has a specific protocol that they’ve built into to the iPhone that allows AirPods to basically connect to it and it’s just much more seamless.”
“But they don’t let anyone else use the protocol. If they did then there would probably be much better competitors to Airpods out there.”
Despite the obstacles, Pebble is pushing ahead. The Core 2 Duo will launch in July for $149, and the Core Time 2 will follow in December at $225. Pre-orders are now open on Pebble's website.
The startup Pebble, based in Palo Alto, was among the early breakout successes on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform back in 2012. It pioneered smartwatches before the arrival of the Apple Watch and Android-powered alternatives.
However, it unexpectedly shut down in 2016. Following an insolvency process, its remaining assets were acquired by competitor Fitbit, which later became part of Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ: GOOG (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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