Facebook is reportedly building a smartwatch that’ll offer instant messaging on the go. And help users stay fit.
Of course, the Facebook watch will have to go head-to-head with Apple Watch, the 500-pound gorilla of the wearables market.
The social-networking giant’s smartwatch will “let wearers send messages using Facebook’s services and also offer health and fitness features,” according to The Information. The report is based on leaks from multiple insider sources.
There’s no word on what it will cost, or whether the wrist computer will run Google’s Wear OS or something proprietary. The wearable is supposedly going to reach consumers in 2022.
Facebook watch vs. Apple Watch
It’s likely Facebook is interested in wearables because Apple has already shown this market can profitable. A report from Friday indicates that more than 100 million people wear one. And Apple’s revenue from wearables would be a Fortune 120 company all on its own.
The Apple device offers fitness and communication features too. So what might be the big differentiator between the two products is privacy. Apple emphasizes protecting the privacy of its users, while Facebook‘s business model is collecting data about users and selling it to advertisers.
Other companies are in the smartwatch game too, like Huawei and Samsung. Google purchased Fitbit in 2019 to try to take a larger share of the market.
