After Facebook phone failure, get ready for a Facebook Watch

Here’s a statement that should fill everyone with optimism: Facebook is building an Android smartwatch! That’s according to a new report from The Information, which says the watch is expected to hit the market next year.

Sources tell The Information that the watch will be a stand-alone device, capable of connecting to cellular networks without using a connection to a smartphone. The report gives the impression that Facebook wants to create its own smartwatch ecosystem, claiming that the device “will allow users to send messages using Facebook’s services and will also offer health and fitness features.” . The Information later added that “Facebook hopes to focus on features that utilize its social networking prowess, 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 the services or equipment of health and fitness companies, such as Peloton Interactive. “

Will the project be successful? Let’s just say that every word in the phrase “Facebook Android smartwatch” is of concern. If you exclude the acquired Oculus VR division, Facebook’s hardware efforts haven’t gone well. The closest previous smartwatch project is the Facebook phone, aka the HTC First. Facebook and HTC teamed up in 2013 to design a smartphone using HTC hardware and Facebook software. Facebook made a custom Android skin with a new Facebook-centric home screen and a few other additions. The phone lasted a month on the market. Facebook’s most recent and less disastrous hardware effort is the Facebook Portal line, which is a series of video chat devices available in multiple smart display formats and as a set-top box for your TV. These did not sell well in the normal market, but when the pandemic hit the Portal TV sold out along with all other video chat devices.

Android doesn’t have much of a future in smartwatches. Google’s smartwatch-focused version of Android, WearOS, appears to be a dead platform, having captured just 10% of the global smartwatch market in the first half of 2020, according to the latest report from Counterpoint Research. There is no developer base for WearOS because sales are so low. All of the gadget makers like Samsung, LG, Huawei and Motorola have fled the platform, leaving only fashion brands to fight for the scraps. Google also appears to have abandoned development of the platform, with the last major WearOS update coming out in 2018.

It is not clear whether Facebook will actually use WearOS for this smartwatch. The report says that “[t]The watch is said to run on an open source version of Google’s Android software. “WearOS is not open source, so creating a WearOS watch would involve signing an agreement with Google and meeting its requirements. If the report is up to date on the esoteric license of Android’s source code, it looks like Facebook will branch off. Android phone and make its own version of Android for smartwatches, removing all unnecessary functionality. Facebook would then be responsible for running an app store, creating developer APIs, and million more News also drops a funny piece of information that, while the initial versions of the smartwatch will run an Android derivative, “Facebook is also working on building its own operating system for future hardware.”

One of the main drivers of WearOS failure, which Facebook will also have to reckon with, is that Qualcomm has historically not been very interested in supporting a smartwatch ecosystem with hardware. Qualcomm launched its first smartwatch SoC in 2014, then six years before releasing a new smartwatch chip that could be considered a major upgrade. The mid-2020 release of the Snapdragon Wear 4100 means Facebook currently has a decent but not great option for a smartwatch chip, but it’s not clear if Qualcomm intends to remake that chip for another six years. or if he plans to do so. activate year-over-year smartwatch enhancements now. Apple and Samsung both make their own smartwatch SoCs, which are not for sale to other manufacturers. If you’re looking for a smartwatch SoC to buy, it’s Qualcomm or bust.

The smartwatch market is completely dominated by Apple, which, according to this same Counterpoint Research report, holds 51% of the global smartwatch market. The rest of the smartwatch market is made up of several struggling vendors with bespoke operating systems, all below 10% each – companies like Samsung, Huawei and Garmin.

The Information says Facebook’s smartwatch push is part of a larger plan to “control the next computing platforms after smartphones.” In the age of smartphones, Facebook is at the mercy of the two big manufacturers of smartphone operating systems, Google and Apple, neither of which have a particularly good relationship with Facebook. Google is a rival to Facebook in tracking users, platforms, and ads. Apple’s push for privacy (which it sees as a key differentiator between Android and iOS) has led the company to directly attack Facebook. If Facebook owned the platform, it would have a lot more freedom to do whatever it wants – a freedom that likely involves tracking users.