"Meta to Launch Smartwatch This Year"...Intensifying Big Tech War Over Wearable Devices

Global big tech companies such as Meta, Apple, and Google are accelerating their entry into the wearable device market. The scope of wearable devices is expanding beyond smart glasses to include smartwatches and wireless earphones equipped with AI features.

According to the U.S. IT (information technology) media outlet The Information on the 19th, Meta plans to launch a smartwatch with built-in AI services within this year. Meta is preparing to release the smartwatch through an internal project codenamed "Malibu 2," and this plan was reportedly decided at a meeting held late last year at CEO Mark Zuckerberg's home in Hawaii.

Meta's smartwatch is expected not only to provide basic health tracking such as heart rate and activity levels, but also to enable schedule management, message replies, and information searches through a Meta AI-based voice assistant. However, Meta declined to comment on the matter.

Among AI wearable devices, Meta currently holds a leading position in the smart glasses market with its "Ray-Ban Meta" series. Launched in September last year, this device applies Meta AI to provide services such as real-time translation, image capture, and voice-command functions. New smart glasses models are also on the way. Meta plans to unveil this year "Hypernova 2," the successor to "Hypernova," which has a tiny display on one lens, and to release next year AR glasses called "Artemis."

Google is also planning to launch this year AI smart glasses equipped with Gemini through a partnership with Samsung Electronics. Apple has recently jumped into the AI race as well, announcing a goal to release smart glasses codenamed "N50" in 2027. The aim of this device is to act as an AI companion and enhance access to AI technology in everyday tasks such as phone calls, music playback, real-time translation, and navigation.

Big tech companies are betting that AI, which has so far remained inside smartphones, will expand into an interface that connects directly to users' vision and hearing, and they are seeking to seize control of the ecosystem through AI wearable devices.

Market research firm Smartanalytic Global forecast that global sales of AI smart glasses will grow from 6 million units last year to 20 million units this year, and that shipments will reach 75 million units by 2030.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.