Rumors have been floating around that Facebook plans to release a phone since 2010 — until Mark Zuckerberg publicly axed the idea. These rumors seem to have been revived by reports of Facebook hiring ex-Apple engineers to work on a secret project called “Buffy” in a partnership with HTC.
The New York Times has reported that Facebook has hired more than a half a dozen ex-Apple employees who have either worked on the hardware or software side of the iPhone. Facebook has also reportedly hired one iPad engineer.Why is Facebook creating a smartphone? According to a Facebook employee, Mark Zuckerberg is worried that if Facebook doesn’t release a phone soon “Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms”.
Additionally, Facebook is also reportedly looking into buying Opera to create their own web browser. If this does happen, Facebook will have enough in-house applications to replace the standard Android apps. For instance, Facebook Camera would take over the standard Camera app, Facebook Messenger, etc.
Source: New York Times
