Facebook Portal Smart Displays Discontinued For Consumers

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has pulled the plug on consumer versions of the Portal. The social media giant is shifting its focus on business applications instead, reports The Variety.

While new Portal devices will no longer be manufactured, the company assured that they will be available for purchase as long as current stocks last. Moreover, it will continue to offer “long-term” software support to customers.

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Portal is a device which is primarily used for video calling. It comes with built-in support for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. Moreover, it lets you add up to 50 people in a single call. Portal is not limited to video calling alone, as it also lets you watch movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Showtime, and Paramount. You can also listen to Spotify and Pandora.

Currently, Portal is available in four models—Portal TV, the 10-inch Portal, Portal Go, and Portal Plus. The report notes that Portal saw a boost in sales during the pandemic, with business users accounting for the majority of devices sold. Facebook reportedly sold 600,000 Portal devices in 2020 and 800,000 units in 2021, mainly to businesses users. But it struggled to find a foothold in the consumer market, as it couldn’t compete with leaders in the smart display market such as Google and Amazon.

Additionally, Meta is reportedly trying to offset its losses resulting from its Reality Labs division. The social media firm has delayed the release of its augmented-reality glasses, which was set to arrive in 2024. It has also scrapped its two-camera smartwatch, code-named Milan.