Bleeding edge tech people can be quite harsh. Pebble has had a lot of haters, especially around how they handled some stuff in the Kickstarters, so that might make the fans more vocal and more dickish than normal too (not trying to defend anyone though).
Yes, I suspect that is the case.
Although I backed it, I hadn't followed the Kickstarter comments etc. Nor for the previous Kickstarter either. So I was not up on all the talk, debates, what to expect etc. I simply bought one and innocently did an unboxing.
So I think it's a combination of those things that lead to all the kerfuffle. Because like I said, it's been a whole other level of response to my regular videos. The only one that comes close would be the Solar Roadways with it's bunch of "true believers". Or any time I mention Apple