Facebook has been trying to get into the hardware market for some time now although what they’ve been releasing has varying levels of success. Some sources are now saying that they will be releasing a smartwatch with a focus on social media features. This kind of wearable is of course unsurprising given that is what Facebook’s main business is but as to how this will translate into the smaller screen of a smartwatch is something we have no idea as of now.
The report says that the Facebook smartwatch will be tied in to the social media aspect of the company, giving users additional features aside from the usual wearable features like fitness tracking and notifications. Since there are a lot of smartwatches currently in the market, what they will release will need to have something that’s unique or at least something more than the usual health and fitness features.
The wearable will also have a cellular connection and messaging capabilities, according to the report from The Information. It will also be powered by the Android platform but if it’s Wear OS or a different kind of version is still unclear as of now. We also don’t know yet how extensive the connection to Facebook will be but this will also probably include Instagram and WhatsApp as not adding those will be a lost opportunity.
The biggest question of course would be whether people will be interested in something like this. Facebook’s previous hardware, like the Portal smart display, have not achieved massive popularity although that may also be part of their plan as they have not mass marketed it anyway. But given all the privacy and security concerns about Facebook these past years, having another device linked to its service may not be attractive to users.
In any case, the report says we can expect the Facebook smartwatch to arrive sometime in 2022. And if all goes well, an upgraded model will also be arriving in 2023.
