Meta's Portal smart video calling device will soon be saying goodbye to the greater public.
The social media giant is allegedly discontinuing its Portal smart display and home video calling device from sale to the general public and that it will be sold as a tool for businesses instead, per The Information and Variety.
Meta's Portal device was first introduced in 2018 as "the future of video calling."
Meta Portal Video calling Device Discontinuation Details
Meta allegedly decided to discontinue the consumer version of the Portal device due to it gaining traction among businesses looking to facilitate better collaboration among employees working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns.
The main selling point of Meta's Portal device is its video-calling capabilities, as it allows users to start or join calls of up to 50 people - a good feature to use in conference calls regardless of a person's location.
As such, businesses eventually provided Meta with the revenue boost it needed, with Portal's sales increasing from 600,000 in 2020 to 800,000 in 2021 due to business owners wanting to provide employees with an easier way to start and attend conferences at home.
This boost in sales helped Meta solidify its decision to redirect Portal's focus from the average consumer to businesses looking to capitalize on Portal's video-calling capabilities.
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The information is allegedly confirmed by Variety, which has heard of Meta's business-focused re-alignment of its Portal device from a source familiar with the company's inner workings.
What's Next For Meta?
Meta will reportedly sell all of its remaining inventory of consumer-focused Portal models and will continue providing support for existing customers. However, it would be focusing on business applications for future releases due to the product's re-alignment.
It isn't known if the support Meta is providing its existing Portal customers in its consumer-focused products will be temporary or permanent.
The History of Meta's Portal Video-Calling Device
Meta's Portal video-calling device was introduced back in 2018 and was advertised as "the future of video calling."
XRToday mentioned the device allows the user to use WhatsApp and Messenger to start or join video calls, and like most displays, it could be connected to Amazon's Alexa smart assistant for voice commands and smart home connection.
Aside from its video-calling capabilities, Meta's Portal is known for its portability when compared to similar devices from Google, Lenovo, and Amazon. It also has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, productivity capabilities, such as native compatibility for Microsoft Teams, and the ability to let small and medium businesses manage their Facebook Work accounts.
The device also has high-fidelity stereo speakers and can also reduce background noise while speaking during conference calls.
One of Portal's models, the Portal Go, is also among the first consumer-grade smart display devices to bring and use a rechargeable battery to further enhance the device's portability.
Aside from portal Go, Portal has three other models to choose from: the original Portal, the Portal Mini, which was released in 2019, and the Portal+, which came out in late 2021.
