Meta reportedly stops development on its smartwatch
Back in 2021, it was rumored that Meta was looking to develop its own smartwatch. This was according to images discovered in the Facebook View app which revealed a smartphone that came with a built-in camera, something of a rarity when it comes to smartwatches, but at the same time slightly creepy when you consider who’s making it.
Now according to a new report from Bloomberg, it looks like Meta has decided to halt the development of the device. The new report reveals that the smartwatch would actually come with not one, but two cameras. One would be hidden on the underside of the smartwatch that could be popped up, thus giving users two different ways of capturing photos and videos.
It is unclear as to why the smartwatch’s development was put on hold, but there could be several reasons why. It could be that maybe Meta realized that they were a bit too ambitious with the smartwatch and decided to halt it. Alternatively, given that Meta is currently in the process of a hiring freeze in an attempt to save costs, perhaps the company decided that now might not be the best time to invest in the development of a smartwatch.
Meta has attempted several hardware launches in the past, dating back years when it tried to make a Facebook smartphone. They then got into virtual reality with the Oculus Rift, and then tried to create a pair of smart sunglasses with Ray-Ban, so creating a smartwatch didn’t really seem entirely implausible.
Source: Bloomberg