If you were worried about Facebook tracking you all over the internet and collecting data from WhatsApp embrace for an even worst impact on your privacy as the social media giant is gunning to collect your much more personalised and highly sensitive data next!
Well, according to sources familiar with the company’s internal plans, Facebook is working on a smartwatch.
The people in the know who asked for their identity to be kept anonymous said that the smartwatch is currently in development and will be going on sale in 2022. While much is not exactly know about the upcoming Facebook smartwatch, the sources stated that it might run on an open-source version of Google’s Android. Thus, hinting at the assumption that the smartwatch will be based on the Wear OS.
The Facebook smartwatch, not yet named, will reportedly have cellular connectivity and focus majorly on Facebook’s messaging services.
Now, as it is quite obvious, the device being a smartwatch, Facebook will also include health and fitness tracking features in it. Meaning it will compete in the segment of some of the best and premium fitness trackers in the market such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit and more.
According to the sources of the development, Facebook will also allow their smartwatch owners to connect with various third-party fitness services such as Peleton and by doing that the social media major wants to integrate social features in the watch which will let users track workouts and other activities with their friends.
Note here that this is not the first time Zuckerberg has made plans to foray into the Android space. Back in 2013, Facebook partnered with HTC to build a smartphone running their very own Android launcher which focused on messaging as well, much like what the upcoming smartwatch will be focused on.
When launched, neither the smartphone – ‘HTC First’ nor its software was well received and thus Facebook had to abandon the project the same year itself.
Facebook Smartwatch: More Privacy Invasion Incoming?
Now, it is not exactly very surprising that Facebook is working on a smartwatch because the company long had plans to get into the wearables segment. Before Google acquired Fitbit, Facebook threw its hat in the ring to purchase them as well. But why?
The answer is more data. Facebook, as you must know it already, has grown quite a reputation as a privacy monger in the tech world. Thus, it only seems logical that the social media behemoth would want to get access to unprecedented amounts of data related to user-health as a step forward in the same direction.
Quite recently, Amazon released its very own fitness tracker and even their health features got heavily criticized for the same reason. They were termed as being ‘highly invasive’.
Lastly, the sources stated that the Facebook watch, when it goes on sale, might retail for a price close to its production, quite similar to the Oculus. The people in the know also mentioned that Facebook might release a follow up more refined device in 2023 which could coincide with their plans to release augmented glasses. But, given how early the smartwatch in development, there still remains a chance the projects gets scraped off and never meets the public eye altogether.
Would you get yourself a Facebook-made smartwatch? Let us know in the comments down below. We will keep you updated on all future developments. Until then, stay tuned.
