Failed To Compete With Apple Watch, Meta Stops Its Smartwatch Development

Meta discontinued its smartwatch development. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Meta doesn't really seem to be able to compete with Apple with its smartwatch, the device has reportedly failed to launch or has been discontinued by the company.

According to a Bloomberg News report, unfortunately it is not known for sure what reason Meta stopped developing its smartwatch. But by last April, Meta had lost $3 billion in Q1 in the funds used for the metaverse.

Over the years Meta has been looking for avenues to dive into hardware to expand its business. One of the most successful was the Oculus headset which became the company's biggest product, and the smartwatch became the latest in Meta hardware endeavors.

Others, such as smart glasses, have not yet come to light. Possibly, the failure of the launch of this smartwatch is due to design problems.

Bloomberg said the watch prototype had two cameras, five megapixels on the front and one 12 megapixel camera placed on the back.

The company wants to use electromyography and convert neural signals into digital commands, which can help with gaming and virtual world experiences.

But launching TechCrunch on Friday, June 10, the presence of two cameras, proved to be a hindrance to the feature, and the company decided to halt development.

If the smartwatch were to be launched, Meta would be priced at around US$349, equivalent to Rp. 5 million. In addition to the camera, the smartwatch also has features like the Apple Watch, namely activity tracking, notifications, and cellular connectivity via eSIM.

The device, codenamed Milan, is said to have a battery life of 18 hours. Even so, Meta doesn't seem to be giving up, he's reportedly still working on other wrist-based wearables.