Social media giant Facebook is working on a smartwatch that will allow users to also respond to messages, according to a new The Information report. The watch will, expectedly, come with health and fitness features. Some people aware of the development have pointed out that Facebook is planning to roll out the watch next year. With this, the company can enter the watch market that has been dominated by major tech player Apple.
According to the report, the wrist device is expected to work using a cellular connection and does not need a smartphone. The company is reportedly planning to allow the device to connect to the services or hardware of health and fitness companies. Also, the first smartwatch by Facebook is likely to run on Google’s Android however, the company is also developing its own operating system that can be used for future wearables. The watch will be running on an open-source version of Android for now. A person familiar with the matter highlighted that for now, the first version is expected to be released next year and the company is planning to roll out a second generation version by 2023.
The company is expected to sell the watch at a price which is nearer to the production cost, an approach which was adopted at the time of Oculus Quest headset. However, it is not clear as to how much Facebook would charge for this watch. Apple, on the other hand, is selling the latest version of its Apple Watch at a starting price of $400. Fitbit smartwatches, on the other hand, cost up to $150.
While talks of development are there, there is no complete confirmation on its launch. There is a possibility of the watch being either delayed or scrapped altogether.