Facebook Working on Smart Watch to Compete With Apple Watch

Facebook is developing a smart watch that will focus on messaging and health features, according to a new report from The Information. Wearers will be able to send messages with Facebook services like Messenger and WhatsApp, and it will work with a cellular connection without a tethered smartphone.

facebook
Health features like options to track workouts with friends or communicate with trainers will be included, and the watch will be able to connect to services provided by health and fitness companies like Peloton. Facebook's upcoming watch is said to run a version of Google's Android software.

Facebook plans to sell the smart watch at close to its production cost, which is also what it does with the Oculus headset. There's no word on what pricing will be, but competing products range in price from $150 to $400+.

It's not likely a smart watch will go over well with those who have concerns about Facebook's data collection. Amazon recently released a "Halo" fitness band that has been derided for its invasiveness. Facebook already makes some consumer hardware products including the aforementioned Oculus and Portal camera and tablet devices.

A Facebook smart watch would need to compete with the Apple Watch, which is one of the best selling wearables on the market. Just this morning, a report suggested that more than 100 million people globally own an Apple Watch. Facebook is also working on its own Ray-Ban branded smart glasses that would compete with rumored products coming from Apple in the next few years.

Facebook is aiming to start selling its smart watch next year, with a second-generation planned for as soon as 2023. The Information says that development is "far along," but there's always still a chance the product could be scrapped.

Top Rated Comments

nate13 Avatar
41 months ago
Just what I've been waiting for. Will go great with my Facebook phone.
Score: 64 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
41 months ago
AHAHAHAHAHHA! AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! AHAHHAHAAHAHHAHA! No Zuc, no. People are fed up of Facebook and you think that they will use a FB Watch? AHAHAHAHHAHAHA
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
41 months ago

People laughing about this don’t understand that this is ultimately a good thing for competition and thus a good thing for us. Super glad you lot aren’t in charge of any major decisions :)
We are not laughing about a new smartwatch, which we'd welcome. We're laughing about Facebook.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
41 months ago
Huh, really? Well, good luck FB. Ya know, with health features comes privacy! Oh, never mind, you do not believe in that...
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Asarien Avatar
41 months ago

Stay a social network please.
Don't even do this. Completely disappear, please.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Erkinshadow Avatar
41 months ago
Another way for Facebook to gather data on its users.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....