Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is reviving its plan to release a smartwatch (codenamed “Malibu 2”), with a planned launch later this year. According to a new report from The Information (see Reuters), Meta’s first smartwatch could have multiple health and fitness tracking features.
In addition, like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the smartwatch will have an integrated Meta AI assistant. In fact, the company will bet on integrating its AI assistant into the smartwatch as it will help create an AI-powered consumer hardware ecosystem.
An AI-focused wearables strategy
It looks like the company is positioning itself towards AI-based features and experiences. This isn’t the first time the company has been rumored to launch a smartwatch. Meta had already been thinking about launching a smartwatch in 2022 and was experimenting with versions with integrated cameras.
However, that project was put on hold due to a broader restructuring within the company’s Reality Labs division and efforts to reduce rising operating costs. If anyone remembers the term “metaverse,” the company was heavily focused on that at the time, along with virtual reality, but it seems to have evolved since then.
However, the renewed push towards an AI-powered smartwatch that could feature a voice-controlled interface with meta-AI suggests that the company wants to expand into the consumer electronics market (with wearables as the main driver) and not rely solely on social media ads to balance its books.
Meta would enter a crowded smartwatch arena
It’s not that the company doesn’t have experience with consumer wearables. One of the most popular AI smart glasses in the world is manufactured 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-powered 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 will have the latest flagship smartwatches from all of these companies, with even more AI-based features than before.
