Report: Meta’s Smartwatch Project is Back from the Dead

Meta has reportedly resumed its work on its first smartwatch, which may launch later this year alongside a new version of its Meta Ray-Ban Display AI glasses. A new paywalled report from The Information (via The Verge) reveals that the new watch, codenamed Malibu 2, will offer health tracking and AI features.

Bloomberg previously reported in 2022 that Meta had stopped development on a dual-camera smartwatch codenamed ‘Milan’. A prototype seen by the publication had one camera below the display and another one on the backside, but the publication reported at the time that this second camera was interfering with another sensor designed for translating nerve signals into digital commands.

It’s not immediately clear if Meta’s new smartmatch, codenamed “Malibu 2,” will feature any cameras or nerve-sensing technology. Apple, which dominates the smartwatch market with its Apple Watch, reportedly canceled an Apple Watch with a camera to focus on AirPods with cameras and AI glasses.

The Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses that launched in the US in September work with a neural wristband that translates signals created by muscle activity into various commands. As Meta explored the use of a similar technology with its previous “Milan” prototype, it will be interesting to see whether the company managed to implement it in its future smartwatch.