Almost every tech company is doing a smartwatch these days as a means to enter the hardware market. Hence, Facebook trying to do the same won’t be surprising, right? Unlike others who are merely selling cheap fitness trackers, Facebook’s ambitions are higher with its “smartwatch.” Zuckerberg’s company wants to outdo the Apple Watch with modular attachments to its watch, with stuff like cameras, for example.
If the reports are to be believed, Facebook is working on a different kind of smartwatch that aims to make it compete with modern smartphones. The watch will have a front-facing camera built-in for taking video calls while allowing for customers to attach detachable cameras for taking pictures.
This detachable camera can only take 1080p photos and videos; the developers are tapping more accessory manufacturers to take advantage of this modular concept.
A radical Facebook Smartwatch is coming
The information comes courtesy of a report from The Verge after an interaction with insider sources. The idea is to let people use their smartwatches in the same fashion as a smartphone. The cameras can help social media savvy users upload photos and videos directly to Facebook’s platforms, including Instagram and Messenger.
OnePlus Watch
The watch will also do the usual fitness stuff, such as track heart rate and steps. However, the focus will be on the smart features instead of the fitness stuff. Hence, Facebook is apparently working with network providers in the US to bring data connectivity, similar to the LTE-supported Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch models. This also suggests the watch won’t need a paired phone to work and Facebook will sell it via its stores.
While the design of the watch is still unseen, the report mentions that buyers will be able to get it in black, white, and gold colours. With an expected price of around $400, Facebook expects to sell lower volumes initially but successive versions could add to the volumes. Yes, the company is apparently working on the second and third generations of the watch already.
The Facebook smartwatch is yet to get a name and enter production but rumours suggest a possible launch in the summer of 2022.
While the prospects of a social media company entering the wearable market seem interesting, it is Facebook after all – a company that’s notorious for messing up with user data privacy and has been at crossroads with Apple lately for its ad revenue practices. Moreover, Facebook sold a smartphone a few years ago and that was a flop; is that an indication of the smartwatch’s fate?
