Meta may revive its smartwatch project with a focus on camera
It said that the company may be considering reintroducing wrist-based devices after it first discontinued its smartwatches several years ago.
The report suggests that Meta's wearable is designed to work with both its smart glasses and Quest headsets, unlike most other smartwatches from companies like Samsung and Google. Its main function is to scan the environment using built-in cameras, rather than to monitor health or deliver notifications.
What Meta is developing seems quite similar to what the company was working on in 2021. To differentiate itself from competitors, sources at the time indicated that Meta, then still known as Facebook, aimed to launch a pair of smartwatches in summer 2022. These devices were said to include a pair of cameras. A 12MP main sensor on the underside, which would require the user to remove the watch, and a 5MP front-facing camera was intended for wrist-based video calls. During Facebook's earlier venture with the Portal smart display, the company was heavily invested in video conferencing.
Images of the initial Meta smartwatch prototype that were leaked.
Pictures of Meta's discarded smartwatch prototype, leaked by Bloomberg.
Although users might expect Meta to have revisited its original smartwatch idea over the years, it appears that this revived project isn't significantly different from its predecessor.
With at least one built-in camera, it is reportedly an attempt to 'enhance the metaverse experience.' Given that the company plans to launch 'half a dozen' AI wearables this year, its current focus on AI and expansive language models is likely to play a role in this endeavour.
Regardless of what Meta's final smartwatches look like, we might not have to wait long to find out. Meta Connect, the company's annual developer conference, is scheduled to commence on September 17th, and according to reports, this year's event could showcase this resurrected project.
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