Leaked photo of Meta's upcoming smartwatch reveals Apple Watch-esque design

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2021
An image of a smartwatch expected to be marketed by Meta, formerly known as Facebook, shows a device with design cues resembling Apple's market-leading Apple Watch.




A photo of the as-yet-unnamed watch device was discovered in Facebook's View iOS app, software that controls a smart glasses product that the company debuted in partnership with Ray-Ban in September. Developer Steve Moser uncovered the image and shared it with Bloomberg on Thursday.

The overall design appears to borrow elements from Apple Watch, including a roughly square shape with rounded corners recessed lugs. Control buttons are located on the right and top sides of the case, while a front-facing camera resides in a notch at the bottom of the watch face.

The Verge previously reported details about Facebook's smartwatch design, saying that the device could feature two cameras and a detachable display. A first camera, likely pictured in the image above, will serve video calling duties, while a second, higher-resolution shooter on the display's rear can be used to capture video when removed from a stainless steel frame. Pictures, video and other content will likely be uploaded directly to Meta services.

The smartwatch is predicted to feature LTE connectivity and health-tracking features, with later iterations rumored to serve as a user interface for a pair of upcoming augmented reality glasses. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted at the possibility of wrist-based control in a product demo today that introduced the company's vision of the metaverse.

Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, Bloomberg reports that Meta is developing three generations of the smartwatch, with the first potentially ready to ship in 2022. Whether the device in today's images represents a final product design is unknown.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    heli0sheli0s Posts: 65member
    Camera on a watch from the company that hoovers  every piece of data about you? No thanks. 
    Anilu_777skippingrockfotoformattwokatmewdavgregAlex_Vlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 22
    Anilu_777Anilu_777 Posts: 525member
    Meta-scammers. No bloody thanks. 
    qwerty52davgregAlex_Vlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 22
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    Normally I would say “not even if it was free”, but instead I’ll say “not even if they paid me”. 

    And that hideous looking thing doesn’t resemble an Apple Watch at all. 
    rezwitstwokatmewjas99davgreglkruppAlex_Vlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 22
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,241member
    They're rounding it wrong.
    dangermouse2Alex_Vlolliverhammeroftruthwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 22
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,033member
    It does look like a cheap knockoff of a smartwatch.  If they still need a name, I suggest “Meh.”  
    skippingrocktwokatmewjas99davgregAlex_VlolliverhammeroftruthStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 22
    slow n easyslow n easy Posts: 322member
    Meta is a very uninspiring name choice. It’s hard to predict their downfall with such an extremely large base but I wouldn’t be surprise if this were the beginning of the end for them. I’m predicting that the watch will fail for sure.
    Alex_Vlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 22
    skippingrockskippingrock Posts: 187member
    slow n easy said:
    Meta is a very uninspiring name choice. It’s hard to predict their downfall with such an extremely large base but I wouldn’t be surprise if this were the beginning of the end for them. I’m predicting that the watch will fail for sure.
    Many hope, but I don’t know.  
    jas99Alex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 22
    roakeroake Posts: 811member
    It’s as close as they will get to honesty, as the suck up all the meta-data available.  They want people to
    buy the watch so they can literally track their movements and surroundings.
    dangermouse2twokatmewAlex_Vlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 22
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    williamh said:
    It does look like a cheap knockoff of a smartwatch.  If they still need a name, I suggest “Meh.”  
    As in “Meh” tah?
    Alex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 22
    michelb76michelb76 Posts: 618member
    "Apple Watch-esque design" come on! It's a digital watch. Like the Apple Watch has 'borrowed' elements from every other watch before it.
    avon b7davgregwilliamlondon
  • Reply 11 of 22
    qwerty52qwerty52 Posts: 367member

    With a kind of “Apple-Watch-like” watch, Facebook is now ready to get into the sleeping room of the users, to spy on them more effective and more “closer”.

    Wondering, if there are really crazy people, willing to buy this spy-gadget.

    jas99williamlondonlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 22
    dk49dk49 Posts: 267member
    Mark wants Meta to be a computing company like Apple and Google. Facebook has witnessed first hand how running its apps on other's platforms can be limiting. So they are now pushing aggressively into VR/AR, as it's supposed to be the next computing platform. This watch is also a reflection of that. Though ofcourse, initially all these efforts will initially focus on social media, but I am sure that they have grander plans for future. It's going to be tough for Meta to compete with Apple and Google, but none the less it will be interesting how this plays out. At the very least, the industry will push even more aggressively towards next gen technologies, which is good for us consumers.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 22
    gilly33gilly33 Posts: 434member
    Is that a notch? Hmmm
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 22
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,037member
    The Zune watch will be about as successful as the Zune media player.

    Considering that Facebook d.b.a. “meta”  is in free fall among Gens y and Z and almost a non entity with those under 18, who exactly will be desiring one of these?
    Alex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 22
    igorskyigorsky Posts: 754member
    Japhey said:
    Normally I would say “not even if it was free”, but instead I’ll say “not even if they paid me”. 

    And that hideous looking thing doesn’t resemble an Apple Watch at all. 
    Looks like a terrible imitation of a Fitbit. 
    Alex_Vlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 22
    holmstockdholmstockd Posts: 84member
    Hmmm, how did those RAY-BANS do? unless i am seriously mistaken or live in another dimension, all META hardware is DOA. 
    Alex_Vlolliverhammeroftruthwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 22
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    michelb76 said:
    "Apple Watch-esque design" come on! It's a digital watch. Like the Apple Watch has 'borrowed' elements from every other watch before it.
    Exactly. It’s a rounded square with a band that clips on the back, much like my Casio watch from the early ‘80s.
    Alex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 22
    muaddibmuaddib Posts: 81member
    This is going to be as popular as the Fire Phone from Amazon.
    williamlondonAlex_Vlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 22
    EsquireCatsEsquireCats Posts: 1,268member
    Not mentioned: the state of smartwatch processors is dismal. Apple's custom silicon is now years ahead of the closest competitor.
    edited October 2021 williamlondonmuthuk_vanalingamStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 22
    qwerty52qwerty52 Posts: 367member
    muaddib said:
    This is going to be as popular as the Fire Phone from Amazon.

    Or as popular as the Facebook Phone, presented by Zuck, as “The iPhone killer”......

    williamlondonwatto_cobra
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