FACEBOOK is developing a smartwatch that could launch as early as next year, according to reports.
The rumoured gadget will go head to head with smartwatches from Apple and Fitbit, offering an array of fitness, messaging, and notification features.
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According to The Information, users will also be able to use the gizmo to send messages on Facebook services like WhatsApp and Messenger.
Insiders told the publication that the first watch could launch in 2022, with a second version planned for the following year.
Like the Apple Watch, the device will emphasise health and fitness features, aided by an ability to connect to services and hardware from fitness firms.
One device you could potentially hook the watch up to is a Peloton exercise bike, the report claims.
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Being a Facebook product, the wearable is expected to come with host of social features, such as the ability to track workouts with friends.
As with the new Apple Fitness+ service, the device could also let you interact with trainers and join live-streamed workouts from your home.
According to The Information, future version will be able to control the augmented reality glasses that Facebook is reportedly working on.
Due for launch soon, the glasses will allegedly beam messages, notifications and other computer-generated graphics onto the world around you.
There’s no price point for the Facebook watch yet, but Facebook apparently plans to “sell the watch near the cost to produce it.”
That would likely put it in the price range of top-of-the-line gadgets like the Fitbit Sense ($280/£300) and the Apple Watch Series 6 ($400/£380).
Apple Watch release history
Here’s every smartwatch Apple has released to date…
- Original: April 24, 2015
- Series 1 and Series 2: September 16, 2016
- Series 3: September 22, 2017
- Series 4: September 21, 2018
- Series 5: September 20, 2019
- Series 6 and Watch SE: September 18, 2020
Facebook is primarily known for its suite of social apps. but in recent years has begun to dip its toes into the lucrative world of consumer tech.
In 2018, the California tech titan launched Portal, a smart home camera system powered by Amazon’s artificial intelligence, Alexa.
The £169 system mostly lets you video chat with your Facebook friends, and features a camera that tracks you as you walk around.
Sales have been slow, but that hasn’t stopped the company from releasing second generation devices, and even a Portal TV.
Facebook has also developed a number of virtual reality headsets through Oculus, a company it bought for $2billion in 2014.
Facebook’s Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and hardware teams account for more than 6,000 employees, a source told Bloomberg last month.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
