Facebook phone rumoured to be in development, due in 2013
A New York Times report indicates that Facebook is hoping to release a mobile phone in 2013, citing Facebook employees and people close to the organization.
The news is not especially new, and rumours of the company partnering with HTC (and other manufacturers) to make a Facebook phone have been around for nearly two years – however, the latest report comes in the light of Facebook hiring several Apple engineers, who’ve had experience developing the iPhone and iPad.
Also very relevant, is that Facebook’s biggest competitor, Google, which already has its fingers in the smartphone pie, just recently completed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Google could very well come out with its own mobile and tablet devices by the end of the year.
Industry analysts are sceptical about Facebook’s ability to develop a successful mobile device, with many software and hardware giants finding the mobile market an extremely difficult one to enter – such as Dell and HP.
Some pundits recommend that Facebook acquires a mobile manufacturer, such as RIM or HTC, instead of trying to develop a device itself.
A software company, Facebook reportedly also has a smartphone OS ready for use already, with the development of an actual mobile device the biggest obstacle remaining. A forked version of the Android OS, like that on the Kindle Fire, could also be a possibility.
When asked about these latest reports, Facebook did not confirm its plans – it instead gave an ambiguous statement, a repeat of its previous stance: “We’re working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers.”
Of course, companies like INQ and HTC have already developed their own Facebook phones (such as the INQ Cloud Touch, INQ Cloud Q, HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa), with native Facebook integration, and dedicated access buttons.