With Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Apple launching smart speakers powered by their own AI assistants, it seems that maybe Facebook is feeling a bit left out because in a report from DigiTimes (via MacRumors), the social networking giant apparently has plans to launch their own smart speakers come 2018.
However instead of being pure speakers like the Google Home or HomePod, it seems that Facebook will be apparently taking a page out of Amazon’s book by introducing a smart speaker that features a 15-inch display, which is similar to what Amazon launched with the Amazon Echo Show a couple of months ago.
The report goes on to add that Pegatron will be the one manufacturing the speakers and that it is scheduled for a release in the first quarter of 2018, and at the moment a small volume pilot production has already begun in plants in China. We’re not sure how Facebook plans on competing with the other speakers in the market today, especially since its M Assistant isn’t exactly the same as Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa.
Also we are curious that Facebook might be interested in such a device, especially when you consider that Samsung has apparently cancelled plans for their own smart speaker, but we will have to wait and see, so until then take it with a grain of salt.