As someone who has a garmin watch and switched from android to iOS I can tell you it's exactly as crippled as the article spells out. So if anything garmin has a healthy smartwatch business in spite of apple trying their hardest to choke competition.

Long time Garmin watch user here and Garmins are also HORRIBLY crippled on iOS. Can I respond to a text message? No. I can clear the notification, but that is it. Apple Watch has far greater abilities than any other smart watch. That is the issue.

My wife (iPhone user) has a Garmin watch that a friend of ours (Android user) recommended. The friend's experience is much much better, with many more features that work. Apple is definitely intentionally crippling the third-party smartwatch experience.

The limitations in the blog post apply for Garmin just as much as Pebble.