Meta gives up on building a camera-equipped smartwatch, report says

Around the time Facebook became Meta, there was a report that the company was working on a wristwatch with cameras.

The project is dead, though Facebook might launch a different type of Wearable in the future.

According to the report, the development of the camera-equipped watch has been stopped by Facebook. There are photos and videos of the prototype of the watch. It was just like your regular watch, with activity tracking, music playing, notifications, and messaging. It would have two cameras, one below the display and the other on the back of the watch, against the wearer's wrist.

The oddly positioned camera interfered with the watch's ability to translate nerve signals into digital commands. In a virtual world, it could be useful to move your fingers or hand to perform certain actions.

The idea was for the wearer to be able to take photos with the camera on the bottom of the watch. It doesn't make much sense.

While there is probably no immediate product on the horizon, a recently granted Apple patent describes a wristwatch with a camera.

According to the report, the camera-equipped watch was supposed to cost $349 in the spring of 2023.

Some of the technologies and features developed for the camera watch will be used in other devices according to sources.