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Report: Meta Revives Smartwatch Plans to Take On Apple Watch

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Meta is set to release its first smartwatch this year featuring health-tracking and built-in Meta AI, reports The Information.

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The smartwatch, which would compete directly with Apple Watch and other brands, is the result of a revived project that Meta canceled in 2022 amid broader spending cuts at its Reality Labs hardware division.

The original project involved plans to release three different camera-equipped watch models, but it doesn't sound like they will be part of the company's future product lineup. The new watch is code-named "Malibu 2."

The smartwatch could arrive alongside Meta's updated Ray-Ban smart glasses – which could reportedly include facial recognition – and it sounds like they will almost definitely appear before a pair of mixed reality glasses that the company has also been developing.

Internally code-named "Phoenix," the MR glasses are said to have been delayed until 2027. Meta executives are said to have grown concerned that launching too many devices in quick succession could confuse customers, hence the delay.

Last year, the Facebook parent company launched its Ray-Ban Display AR glasses, which apparently proved so popular that Meta had to delay an international rollout. Those glasses use a neural wristband for its gestural interface, so it's possible the new smartwatch could potentially take over those controls.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is developing rival smart glasses, an AI pin, and AirPods with cameras, all of which will connect to the iPhone and will interface with the smarter version of Siri that's in the works.

Apple is targeting a 2027 launch for the glasses, and the AI pin could arrive in the same year, if development continues. The new AirPods could arrive as soon as this year.

Article Link: Report: Meta Revives Smartwatch Plans to Take On Apple Watch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/19/meta-revives-smartwatch-plans-this-year/
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Apple should double down on first-party wearables as accessory devices are the key to keeping the iPhone as the halo and ecosystem lock-in device for users. This whole category remains ripe for the taking, but Apple seems too cautious here. Some ideas to do that include changing up the Apple Watch design, even in a one-off “edition” model; pushing out some of the AI devices such as the Ray-Ban competitor glasses ASAP; and getting serious about lower-cost fitness tracker bands like Whoop or rings like Oura for folks that don’t want to wear an Apple Watch all day. You’re a hardware company, people love your hardware, do more hardware.
 
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Falco McGregor said:
Apple should double down on first-party wearables as accessory devices are the key to keeping the iPhone as the halo and ecosystem lock-in device for users. This whole category remains ripe for the taking, but Apple seems too cautious here. Some ideas to do that include changing up the Apple Watch design, even in a one-off “edition” model; pushing out some of the AI devices such as the Ray-Ban competitor glasses; and getting serious about lower-cost fitness tracker bands like Whoop or rings like Oura for folks that don’t want to wear an Apple Watch all day. You’re a hardware company, people love your hardware, do more hardware.
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Ecosystems suck. Mix and match is healthy
 
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Falco McGregor said:
Apple should double down on first-party wearables as accessory devices are the key to keeping the iPhone as the halo and ecosystem lock-in device for users. This whole category remains ripe for the taking, but Apple seems too cautious here. Some ideas to do that include changing up the Apple Watch design, even in a one-off “edition” model; pushing out some of the AI devices such as the Ray-Ban competitor glasses; and getting serious about lower-cost fitness tracker bands like Whoop or rings like Oura for folks that don’t want to wear an Apple Watch all day. You’re a hardware company, people love your hardware, do more hardware.
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I believe that Ray-Ban competitor glasses are in the works, but your larger point on focusing on hardware stands. I've tried to go back to Android a couple times, but I enjoyed the Apple Watch more than what was available elsewhere on the Watch front and quickly ended back up on iPhone.
 
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Everyone hates Meta and uses their products mainly out of habit, because friends use them, and convincing many friends to switch is a difficult operation. Besides, Meta is a known thief; we know what to expect from him. Zuckerberg's only successes are with companies he bought and didn't participate in. I remember his Facebook Phone, but that was a spectacular failure. Good luck, Meta, you'll need it.
 
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Wieslawo said:
Everyone hates Meta and uses their products mainly out of habit, because friends use them, and convincing many friends to switch is a difficult operation. Besides, Meta is a known thief; we know what to expect from him. Zuckerberg's only successes are with companies he bought and didn't participate in. I remember his Facebook Phone, but that was a spectacular failure. Good luck, Meta, you'll need it.
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They’ve had decent success with the Ray-Ban glasses, selling about 10 million of them. The Ray-Ban partnership was a brilliant idea because the glasses look mostly like real glasses, which has surely helped adoption. But I suspect most people are just using them as convenient face cameras and headphones and not actually pushing them into an ecosystem lock-in with Meta.
 
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Falco McGregor said:
They’ve had decent success with the Ray-Ban glasses, selling about 10 million of them. The Ray-Ban partnership was a brilliant idea because the glasses look mostly like real glasses, which has surely helped adoption. But I suspect most people are just using them as convenient face cameras and headphones and not actually pushing them into an ecosystem lock-in with Meta.
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Sure, and I'm not saying Meta doesn't have sales successes. I'm just saying that it doesn't have its own successes, its own ideas. Oculus is behind the glasses' success, and I entirely agree; the partnership with Ray-Ban is a great move, but I wouldn't attribute it to Mark.
 
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Falco McGregor said:
Apple should double down on first-party wearables as accessory devices are the key to keeping the iPhone as the halo and ecosystem lock-in device for users. This whole category remains ripe for the taking, but Apple seems too cautious here. Some ideas to do that include changing up the Apple Watch design, even in a one-off “edition” model; pushing out some of the AI devices such as the Ray-Ban competitor glasses ASAP; and getting serious about lower-cost fitness tracker bands like Whoop or rings like Oura for folks that don’t want to wear an Apple Watch all day. You’re a hardware company, people love your hardware, do more hardware.
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I'd love an Apple Watch version of the Pebble Round 2.

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MacRumors said:
Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is developing rival smart glasses, an AI pin, and AirPods with cameras
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Lamest rumored tech ever. I'm actually glad it's from Bloomberg since we know that means a complete confabulation by Mark Gurman.
Falco McGregor said:
Apple should double down on first-party wearables as accessory devices are the key to keeping the iPhone as the halo and ecosystem lock-in
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"Any suggestions on how to incur more fines and greater scrutiny from EU regulators? Falco? Any ideas?"
 
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repoman016 said:
Maybe its just me but Meta is one of those names when I hear I go yuck.....facebook...How do people continue to support them?
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They have kinda monopolized things in some areas. If you want to find events here, Facebook. Classifieds and Craigslist are dead, so Marketplace it is. Need to find someone to plow your driveway? You'll only find them on Facebook. It goes on and on.

We needed to buy 50 bales of hay recently for our animals, and the only place I could find any for sale, from a local farmer, was on Facebook.
 
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I wouldn't buy any Meta hardware, but it's important to point out yet again that those watches would work in both i*OS and Android ecosystems, while people without iOS phones are stuck when it comes to Apple watches. Apple's arbitrary policy won't even allow pairing their watches to iPads.
 
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artifex said:
I wouldn't buy any Meta hardware, but it's important to point out yet again that those watches would work in both i*OS and Android ecosystems, while people without iOS phones are stuck when it comes to Apple watches. Apple's arbitrary policy won't even allow pairing their watches to iPads.
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Meta was bad at their phone, has destroyed what they were trying to do with the Quest and had reduced themselves to the level of just another accessory maker… very likely powered by Android. Hardware is difficult.
 
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