Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is reviving its plan to release a smartwatch (codenamed “Malibu 2”), with a targeted launch later this year. According to a new report from The Information (vie Reuters), Meta’s first smartwatch could feature several health and fitness-tracking features.
Further, like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the smartwatch will include a built-in Meta AI assistant. In fact, the company will bank on integrating its AI assistant into the smartwatch, as this will help create an AI-powered consumer hardware ecosystem.
An AI-first wearables strategy
It looks like the company might position itself on AI-based features and experience. This isn’t the first time the company has been rumored to launch a smartwatch. Meta previously explored launching a smartwatch in 2022, experimenting with versions that included built-in cameras.
However, that project was shelved due to broader restructuring within the company’s Reality Labs division and an effort to cut the rising operational costs. If anyone remembers the term “metaverse,” the company was heavily focused on it at the time, along with virtual reality, but since, it appears to have moved on.
However, the renewed push toward an AI-powered smartwatch, which could come with a voice-driven interface powered by Meta AI, suggests that the company wants to expand into the consumer electronics market (with wearables as the key driver) and not rely solely on social media ads to balance its books.
Meta would enter a crowded smartwatch arena
It’s not like the company doesn’t have any experience with consumer wearables. One of the most popular AI smart glasses worldwide is made by Meta, in collaboration with Ray-Ban. The product is a testament to both the company’s understanding of the market and the demand for AI-infused wearable technology.
However, Meta’s first smartwatch would enter an already crowded, competitive market dominated by giants like Apple, Samsung, Google (via Wear OS and Fitbit), Garmin, and others. By the end of this year, we’ll have the latest flagship smartwatches from all these companies, with even more AI-based features than they already have.