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Something like this -> https://www.theinformation.com/articles/facebook-plans-smartwatch-with-focus-on-messaging-health https://www.theinformation.com/articles/

Something like this -> https://www.theinformation.com/articles/facebook-plans-smartwatch-with-focus-on-messaging-health https://www.theinformation.com/articles/facebook-plans-smart... Facebook plans a smartwatch with deep ties to Facebook to compete with the iPhone. Talk about a hard nope for me.

smilespray 6y ago
Absolutely nothing could ever possibly go wrong with streaming your real-time heart rate and blood pressure to Facebook while you're scrolling through your feed.
- willxinc 6y ago
  Unless it's hidden under the paywall fold, I don't see the article mentioning that's what's planned?
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    I didn't see a lot either. I just assume it's a direct feed of all your bodily activity direct to Zuck Central. Supported by real time advertising direct to your brain.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
oe 6y ago
Is there a target audience for Facebook hardware products? I guess HN crowd isn't but I'd want to know what part of the population could be. Curious.
- akmarinov 6y ago
  Do we count the Oculus stuff?
- Tagbert 6y ago
  i would guess that they would be sold as loss leaders. If Facebook can get more customer metrics and give Apple a black eye, I’m sure that they would be willing to sell a watch at cost.
- ucm_edge 6y ago
  They seem to think there is, although Portal sales would disagree with that. Supposedly the Portal is actually nice hardware wise, but the Facebook association was just toxic for them.
  - bonestamp2 6y ago
    Ya, the idea of giving facebook control of a camera in my house? Haha, nope.
- tomjen3 6y ago
  There is a lot of options for the grandma device where she can see pictures of the grandkids and call her kids with a single touch button.
akmarinov 6y ago
Why would people buy that? It just doesn’t make any sense. Without having an OS to back it up like the Apple Watch has iOS and the Android Wear has Android, it’ll just be a worse smartwatch. What would their killer app be?
- CaptainZapp 6y ago
  > What would their killer app be? Why? Facebook, of course.
  - bonestamp2 6y ago
    And WhatsApp. If they could make a relatively inexpensive watch that did WhatsApp messaging and payments, that could be very successful in the developing world... but would have no impact on Apple.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  > Why would people buy that? I don't think they will. Apple dominates the smartwatch category because they are the only ones willing to invest in CPUs and components to make them really work well. Well that plus iPhone integration. > What would their killer app be? My theory would be perhaps the "Killer" feature would be communications. If they could come up with a killer cellular watch that just goes around the smartphone entirely, they might make something appealing. But Facebook has shown zero capability to actually come up with good ideas on their own so I doubt this will go far. If Samsung with all their hardware chops can't really come up with a decent Apple Watch competitor, is Facebook with no hardware experience going to come in and hit a home run? Or even a single? Seems unlikely
- fuzzfactor 6y ago
  >Why would people buy that? Why would they have to? With Facebook money I could write a new OS, put it in a smartwatch, and give them away free. Plus start a new app _store_ to go with it. >What would their killer app be? Anything that was free. Maybe I shouldn't be giving them any ideas . . .
Hamuko 6y ago
Too bad a lot of money can't promise you success in the smart devices category. See also: Amazon

smilespray 6y ago

Absolutely nothing could ever possibly go wrong with streaming your real-time heart rate and blood pressure to Facebook while you're scrolling through your feed.

willxinc 6y ago
Unless it's hidden under the paywall fold, I don't see the article mentioning that's what's planned?
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  I didn't see a lot either. I just assume it's a direct feed of all your bodily activity direct to Zuck Central. Supported by real time advertising direct to your brain.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

oe 6y ago

Is there a target audience for Facebook hardware products? I guess HN crowd isn't but I'd want to know what part of the population could be. Curious.

akmarinov 6y ago
Do we count the Oculus stuff?
Tagbert 6y ago
i would guess that they would be sold as loss leaders. If Facebook can get more customer metrics and give Apple a black eye, I’m sure that they would be willing to sell a watch at cost.
ucm_edge 6y ago
They seem to think there is, although Portal sales would disagree with that. Supposedly the Portal is actually nice hardware wise, but the Facebook association was just toxic for them.
- bonestamp2 6y ago
  Ya, the idea of giving facebook control of a camera in my house? Haha, nope.
tomjen3 6y ago
There is a lot of options for the grandma device where she can see pictures of the grandkids and call her kids with a single touch button.

akmarinov 6y ago

Why would people buy that? It just doesn’t make any sense. Without having an OS to back it up like the Apple Watch has iOS and the Android Wear has Android, it’ll just be a worse smartwatch. What would their killer app be?

CaptainZapp 6y ago
> What would their killer app be? Why? Facebook, of course.
- bonestamp2 6y ago
  And WhatsApp. If they could make a relatively inexpensive watch that did WhatsApp messaging and payments, that could be very successful in the developing world... but would have no impact on Apple.
ogre_codes 6y ago
> Why would people buy that? I don't think they will. Apple dominates the smartwatch category because they are the only ones willing to invest in CPUs and components to make them really work well. Well that plus iPhone integration. > What would their killer app be? My theory would be perhaps the "Killer" feature would be communications. If they could come up with a killer cellular watch that just goes around the smartphone entirely, they might make something appealing. But Facebook has shown zero capability to actually come up with good ideas on their own so I doubt this will go far. If Samsung with all their hardware chops can't really come up with a decent Apple Watch competitor, is Facebook with no hardware experience going to come in and hit a home run? Or even a single? Seems unlikely
fuzzfactor 6y ago
>Why would people buy that? Why would they have to? With Facebook money I could write a new OS, put it in a smartwatch, and give them away free. Plus start a new app _store_ to go with it. >What would their killer app be? Anything that was free. Maybe I shouldn't be giving them any ideas . . .

Hamuko 6y ago

Too bad a lot of money can't promise you success in the smart devices category. See also: Amazon