Will There Be Facebook Smartphone Coming Very Soon?
After Instagram, it seems that Facebook Inc. is seriously eyeing the mobile phone industry, following reports that the company is planning to release its first-ever smartphone as soon as mid-2013.
In a story ran on the Businessweek, Facebook is said to be working with HTC Corp. to develop its own smartphone. The companies initially intended to launch the Facebook smartphone by end of this year, but pushed back at a later date to give HTC more time to work on other products.
People privy to the information revealed that Facebook is also creating a modified operating system for the new device with the help of former Apple Inc. programmers to improve Facebook iPhone app.
“Our mobile strategy is simple: We think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social,” Menlo Park, California-based Facebook said in a statement. “We’re working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world.”
Facebook’s Chief Executive Office Mark Zuckerberg was himself a long-time Blackberry user until he shifted to an iPhone in the past couple of years. Facebook iPhone app garnered criticism for being slow and former Apple staff commissioned by Facebook is said to be primarily focusing on rebuilding the app.
In an interview at the Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Zuckerberg said that his greatest challenge right now was “the shift to mobile,” but no further details were provided. Meanwhile, Sally Julien, a spokeswoman for Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC, declined to comment on the matter.