Facebook, sorry! Meta Platforms as we are now supposed to call the questionable Company, is developing a smartwatch with a front-facing camera and rounded screen that appears to be a copy of the Apple Watch. Its sole purpose is to capture data that Facebook can sell to advertisers. The move comes days after of all Companies BMW partnered with the questionable US snooping giant in an effort to test driving glasses.
Facebook’s promises of safe data handling with smart glasses come at a time when calls to break up Facebook, and wide-ranging accusations of societal damage through its platforms, have never been greater, with Governments all over the world, including Australia, scrutinising the actions of the Company, who appear to have been so desperate to hide their past they not only changed the name of their holding Company but are now looking to rebrand several of their assets, including Facebook.
For 35 years I have been buying BMW motorcars. Now the German Company is cuddling up to Facebook to explore the impact of driving while wearing AR smart glasses that you only get to wear after BMW has supplied them with information on the driver. For me this is one reason to dump BMW. Right now they are struggling to deliver motor vehicles.
I already get a head-up display on my BMW, and the last thing I want to see is the German brand in bed with a questionable Company who are obsessed with collecting data or trying to manipulate political debate on the way we should be living our lives.

Leaked Facebook watch
It was only a few weeks ago that the Company cuddled up to Ray-Ban to launch a new set of Ray-Ban Stories glasses that captured personal data
Facebook’s Ray-Ban Stories glasses aren’t recommended while driving, with Meta describing the partnership with BMW as being about exploring how AR glasses could integrate with cars and how they’d be used in a moving vehicle.
The new watch image was found inside of the company’s app for controlling its new Ray-Ban glasses.
The picture was located by app developer Steve Moser and shared with Bloomberg.
The watch has a detachable wrist strap and what appears to be a button at the top of the watch case. Its large display mimics the style of Apple Inc.’s watch — rather than the more basic fitness trackers sold by Google’s Fitbit and Garmin Ltd. The camera suggests the product will likely be used for videoconferencing.
Facebook has been planning to launch its first watch as early as 2022, but a final decision on timing hasn’t been made yet and the debut could be later, according to Bloomberg.
The discovery of the image in the glasses’ app, called Facebook View, could indicate the watch will be managed on iPhones and Android devices using that app too.
Code inside the software indicates the watch could be dubbed “Milan.” The code also suggests the camera will be capable of capturing both photos and videos and downloading them to a phone.
If Meta launches the watch next year, it will go up against the next generation of Apple devices.
BMW have not commented on their new association with Facebook. The German brand already offers Google’s Android Auto for their vehicles.