Key Highlights:
- Facebook unveils plans of launching smartwatch with elaborated features to open areas for competition for Apple and Google
- The smartwatch is a part of Zyckerberg’s plan to develop more consumer oriented devices
- Facebook is working with top US tech companies to develop accessories for its gadget
Supports LTE Connectivity
As an approach to mark a hardware presence amongst the employees and users, Facebook unveils its plan to launch its smartwatch with elaborated features during the summer of 2022. The American multinational corporation opens an area for competition to both its competitors— Google and Apple—who configure the platform’s reach to the people.
Facebook’s Smartwatch
Having marked a distinctive presence on software mediums, Facebook unveils its plan of marking a novel approach to its first smartwatch. Although the company has not confirmed its plan yet, it currently plans to debut its gadget by the summer of 2022. The watch will be available in white, black, and gold colour options and the launch of the first generation smartwatch will be followed by the second and the third generation. As far as the pricing is concerned, the smartwatch could be priced around $400 (Rs 29,000 roughly) and Facebook is yet to decide a name for the smartwatch.
Facebook’s first-of-its-kind smartwatch will have a clear display, stainless steel frame and two cameras—front and rear. The detachable gadget can be removed from the wrist to capture pictures and record videos. As per reports, users can also avail video calling feature using the Facebook smartwatch using the front camera and will have to detach the watch to use the rear one. The smartwatch will also support health-oriented features such as a heart rate monitor.
Currently, Facebook is reaching out to other companies to create accessories for attaching the camera hub to things such as backpacks, as per reports. The smartwatch would not require a connection with a smartphone to function. The social media giant is working with top US carriers to support LTE connectivity. The company has already started working on the other two versions which clearly indicates that the first generation smartwatch is absolutely ready to hit the market.
Competitive idea behind the smartwatch
The idea behind Facebook’s novel approach towards smartwatch is to encourage users for multipurpose use of the smartwatch. With significant features like heart rate monitor and autofocus 1080p camera, the smartwatch tends to be a part of Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to build more consumer devices to surpass platforms such as Apple and Google, the two dominant mobile phone platform creators that largely control Facebook’s ability to reach people.
Apple has aggressively positioned itself as a protector of privacy by limiting the kinds of data that apps like Facebook can collect, while Facebook has for years been besieged by scandals regarding its handling of user data. That dynamic could create an uphill battle for Facebook to convince people to buy its forthcoming Apple Watch competitor, especially since it plans to also position the watch as a fitness device with a heart rate monitor.
