Apple at one time considered adding a camera to the Apple Watch, but it looks like Meta may get there first. A new report suggests the company may unveil the upcoming wearable at its September event.
A Meta smartwatch with a camera was spotted in development back in 2021, but was said to have been put on pause the following year. However, a new supply-chain report says the project was revived and is now close to launch …
Apple Watch with camera
Apple has long been considering the idea of adding a camera to the Apple Watch, as evidenced by a patent application dating back to 2019.
Apple’s proposed solution is to integrate the camera into part of the band, rather than the Watch itself. You’d be able to pull out a section of the band, which would be flexible so you can angle it as desired. The lens itself would rotate on the end of the band for complete flexibility.
The company saw this as potentially letting us leave our iPhones behind at least some of the time.
A smartwatch with the capability of capturing images or videos may enable a user to forego carrying a smartphone when doing some activities, especially activities or environments where it would be difficult to take a smartphone (e.g., hiking, running, swimming, surfing, snowboarding, and any number of other situations).
Of course, we added our usual disclaimer: Apple patents all kinds of things that never make it into production.
But while Apple may or may not add a camera to its Watch, a Digitimes report suggests Meta is going full steam ahead on its product.
Meta Platforms Inc. is reportedly reviving its smartwatch project, potentially with a camera lens, timed with its Meta Connect conference on September 17-18 in the US. The smartwatch is expected to complement Meta’s upcoming AI glasses. China’s Huaqin is said to be the primary manufacturer.
The inclusion of a camera would give the watch AI capabilities, as well as differentiating it from existing smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, and Garmin.
The report seems uncertain whether the watch will appear at Meta’s September event. The intro suggests it’s being timed for an announcement there, while later in the piece it says “it’s unclear if the smartwatch will debut at the upcoming Meta Connect event.”
9to5Mac’s Take
Integration within the Apple ecosystem makes it a very tough challenge for any company to sell smartwatches to iPhone owners. To have any chance at all, they’d need to offer a compelling feature the Apple Watch doesn’t.
A camera could potentially be such a feature, though appeal is likely to be limited to the same market Apple identified in its patent: those who want to sometimes be able to leave their iPhone at home while still being able to take photos and video.
Either way, it’ll be good to see some competition here – perhaps this will be the development that persuades Apple to press ahead with the camera watchband idea.
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Photo by Rajasekhar R on Unsplash
