Here’s a statement that should fill everyone with optimism: Facebook is building an Android smartwatch! This is according to a new report by The Information, which says the watch is expected to hit the market next year.
Sources tell The Information that the watch will be a standalone device, capable of connecting to cellular networks without being linked to a smartphone. The report makes it appear that Facebook wants to build its own smartwatch ecosystem, saying the device “will allow users to send messages using Facebook services and will also offer health and fitness features”. Information later added that “Facebook hopes to emphasize features that use its social networking capabilities, such as allowing users to follow their workouts with friends or communicate with their trainer” and that Facebook “plans to allow the device to connect to services or hardware from health and fitness companies like Peloton Interactive. “
Will the project succeed? Let’s just say that every word in the phrase “Facebook Android smartwatch” is a cause for concern. If you exclude the acquired division of Oculus VR, Facebook’s hardware efforts did not work. The previous project closest to a smartwatch is the Facebook Phone, also known as HTC First. Facebook and HTC teamed up in 2013 to design a smartphone using HTC hardware and Facebook software. Facebook created a custom skin for Android with a new home screen centered on Facebook and a few other additions. The phone lasted a month on the market. Facebook’s latest and least disastrous hardware endeavor is the Facebook Portal line, which is a series of video chat devices available in various smart screen formats and as a converter for your TV. They didn’t sell well in the normal market, but when the pandemic hit, Portal TV sold out along with all the other video chat devices.
Counterpoint research
Android doesn’t have much of a future in smartwatches. Google’s smartwatch-focused Android version, WearOS, looks like a dead platform, having captured just 10 percent of the global smartwatch market at H1 2020, according to the latest report from Counterpoint Research. There is no developer base for WearOS, because sales are very low. All device manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Huawei and Motorola have fled the platform, leaving only the fashion brands fighting for the remains. Google seems to have abandoned development of the platform as well, with the last major WearOS update released in 2018.
It is not clear whether Facebook will actually use WearOS for this smartwatch. The report says that “[t]The watch would run on an open source version of Google’s Android software. “WearOS is not open source, so making a WearOS watch would involve signing an agreement with Google and meeting its requirements. If the report is up to date on the esoteric licensing of Android’s source code, it looks like Facebook will fork the Phone Android and make your own version of Android for smartwatches, eliminating all unnecessary features. Facebook would then be responsible for running an app store, making developer APIs and a million others. The information also launches a fun rumor that, although the initial versions of the smartwatch running some Android derivative, “Facebook is also working to build its own operating system for future hardware.”
A major driving force behind the failure of WearOS, which Facebook will also have to rely on, is that Qualcomm, historically, has not been interested in supporting a smartwatch ecosystem with hardware. Qualcomm launched its first SoC smartwatch in 2014 and six years before launching a new smartwatch chip that could be considered a major upgrade. The launch of the Snapdragon Wear 4100 in mid-2020 means that Facebook currently has a decent, but not great option for a smartwatch chip, but it is unclear whether Qualcomm plans to overhaul that chip for another six years or whether it really plans to allow improvements year on year. after smartwatch year now. Apple and Samsung manufacture their own SoCs for smartwatches, which are not for sale to other manufacturers. If you’re looking for a smartwatch SoC to buy, it’s Qualcomm or the bust.
The smartwatch market is completely dominated by Apple, which, according to the same report by Counterpoint Research, holds 51% of the global smartwatch market. The rest of the smartwatch market is a bunch of struggling vendors with custom operating systems, all with less than 10% each – companies like Samsung, Huawei and Garmin.
The information says that the Facebook smartwatch boost is part of a larger plan that aims to “control the next computing platforms after smartphones”. In the era of smartphones, Facebook is at the mercy of two major smartphone operating system providers, Google and Apple, neither of which has a particularly good relationship with Facebook. Google is a rival to Facebook in tracking users, platforms and ads. Apple’s drive for privacy (which it sees as an important differentiator between Android and iOS) has led the company to attack Facebook directly. If Facebook were the owner of the platform, it would have a lot more freedom to do what it wants – freedom that probably involves tracking users.