In the first leaked images of Facebook’s smartwatch, it’s clear: there’s a notch, which is the kind of thing people love to make fun of, and what appears to be a front-facing camera. In the photo, the watch’s screen is off, but the beady little camera eye is clearly visible.
The photo, which was first reported on by Bloomberg, was found inside the company’s app for its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. The watch, referred to as “Milan” in the code, has a large display like the Apple Watch — but that smartwatch doesn’t have a camera. The picture today may not be a version that consumers ever see, according to Bloomberg. Still, it confirms earlier reporting about Facebook’s work.
If this is the same watch as the one we reported on in June, there will also be a second, detachable camera. The front-facing camera may be used for video calls, and has a reasonably high 1080p resolution. The watch will support LTE. In February, The Information reported that the watch will have health, fitness and messaging features.
In June, the plan was to launch the device in Summer 2022, though Bloomberg’s source says there hasn’t yet been a final decision on release timing yet.
The smartwatch market is dominated by Google, Garmin, Samsung, and Apple. So to distinguish itself, Facebook’s offering is meant to mimic a smartphone more closely. Underscoring the rivalry, CEO Mark Zuckerberg made several jabs at what he called “closed platforms,” possibly referring to Android and iOS, during Thursday’s Connect keynote. Earlier this week, in its earnings call, Facebook partially blamed Apple’s ad-tracking features for missed revenue targets.
Earlier today, Facebook rebranded its parent company Meta. But a MetaWatch from 2014 already exists. With any luck, this will mean weird lawsuits around branding and intellectual property — and the legal discovery that goes along with it.
The company formerly known as Facebook declined to comment for this story.
