Facebook eye the smartphone industry in a new perspective: Not as app but as operating system

Stalwarts back at Facebook’s head office in Paulo Alto, California are banging their heads together to come up with a smartphone that is either innovative like Apple’s iPhone or cheap and easy-to-use like an Android handset.

The social networking giants are planning ahead in collaboration with HTC to produce a smartphone that will have a Facebook powered operating system and an extensive application that will eclipse the need of a desktop web browser for full access to their
ecosystem.

The company has been facing neck-and-neck competition from both Apple and Google in the social networking. After the launch of iCloud from Apple and Google + from Google, Facebook decided that the perfect reply to this contest is taking stabs at the market
share of these rivals. Other than that, there is no fathomable wisdom evident behind such a blunt step that certainly will have serious repercussions in the future, if hotheads at Facebook cannot foresee it.

First of all, the smartphone industry is already waterlogged with mobile devices from Apple, Google, HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola and whatnot. Plunging into the market without much arsenal to defend their territory, the company might cannibalize its own application
on their phones.

Another problem, a wise guess, is that Facebook might be facing compatibility issues in their new OS. The most extensive approach in that respect was recently taken by Apple in iOS 5. Even that app leaves behind a host of HTML 5-based application unattended
that can only be run on a desktop-based web browser.

Facebook might need to take the efforts to a certain length to justify all the applications in their ecosystem.

Moreover, with a dominance of iOS and Android in the market, it will be tough for Facebook to create their own space in the ‘real world’.

To date, both HTC and Mark Zukerberg’s Facebook are keeping this new venture top secret with a shield of ‘no comment’ comments. However, with certainty, it can be assured that both of these hardware and software giants are clamping on this idea and a new
‘Facebook Phone’ can be expected any time 2013.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Nov 22 2011. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry