Social media giant Facebook is working on a smartwatch with a focus on messaging and health features. Citing four sources familiar with their development, The Information website reported it.
Facebook's first smartwatch should run on an open-source software version Androidu, but the company is said to be developing its own operating system, which should debut in the second generation of the watch. It is said to arrive in 2023.
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The watch should be tightly integrated with Facebook apps such as Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram and support mobile connectivity, allowing for quick interaction with messages without having to rely on a smartphone.
Facebook is also said to allow the watch to connect with hardware and services from health and fitness companies such as Peloton Interactive. However, this might not sit too well with many - Facebook doesn't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to handling personal data, and now it would gain access to more sensitive information (and health data is perhaps the most sensitive of all) that it could sell to third parties for the purpose of targeting advertisements.
According to The Information, the social giant's watch won't hit the scene until next year and will be "sold at close to production cost." Exactly how much it will be is unclear at this point, but it is likely that their price tag will be lower than that of the watch Apple Watch 6 to Watch SE.
Facebook is no stranger to hardware — it owns Oculus, which makes VR headsets, and in 2018 launched a first-generation video chat device called Portal.
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