Meta is Now Targeting Businesses with its Portal Devices
- Laurent Giret
- Jun 10, 2022
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Meta has reportedly given up on trying to bring its Portal smart displays into more households. According to a report from The Information, which has also been confirmed by Protocol, Meta will now be targeting businesses interested in hybrid work solutions.
Meta is expected to keep selling its existing Portal devices to consumers and won’t abandon support, but there won’t be any new Portal products designed for consumers. Even though Facebook has become a company most consumers love to hate these days, the Portal product line didn’t exactly receive the negative reception you may imagine.
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“My kids use our Portal TV almost every day to call the grandparents. I don’t want to give my kids my phone to make Whatsapp calls,” tweeted Paulus Schoutsen, the founder of the open-source home automation platform Home Assistant.
Nooooooo
My kids use our Portal TV almost every day to call the grandparents. I don't want to give my kids my phone to make Whatsapp calls. https://t.co/zvpISlHHCt
— Paulus Schoutsen (@balloob) June 9, 2022
For businesses, Portal devices already support video calls with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex Meetings, and more. The Portal Calendar app can also sync with Outlook and Google Workspace, so the devices can already be useful in meeting rooms or home offices
Back in September, Meta also launched a beta of Portal for Business. The new service allows SMBs to easily deploy and manage Portal devices at scale, and it also lets IT pros create Meta Work Accounts for business use.