A Meta smartwatch? Thanks to Meta's dismal record around harvesting wellness data, it's a hard pass from me

Meta is reported to be reviving its long-gestating plan to release its own smartwatch. According to a report originating from The Information, the project, which was first mooted in 2021 before apparently being shelved, is back from the dead, and we could see a Meta watch as early as this year.

On the surface, I can see the appeal; having shunned the idea of making its own smartphone, Meta is betting big on wearables, with its Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 and Oakley Meta Vanguard smart glasses being a bona fide hit this year.

Meta has already released a 'Neural Band' designed to work as a controller for the glasses, of sorts, by reading muscle activity, and the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses integrates with the best Garmin watches already — it's a short hop from here for Meta to build its own fully-fledged smartwatch, and create a cohesive wearables ecosystem.