Facebook Recruiting Former Apple iPhone Engineers for Facebook Phone
There have been
persistent rumors that Facebook may be trying to enter the mobile phone market with its own device.
The NYTimes revives these rumors this weekend with a report claiming that Facebook is planning to release its own smartphone by next year. Amongst other talent, Facebook has already recruited a number of former Apple iPhone/iPad engineers for the project:
The company has already hired more than half a dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers who worked on the iPhone, and one who worked on the iPad, the employees and those briefed on the plans said.
This is reportedly the 3rd attempt by Facebook to build a smartphone. Previous plans had reportedly "crumbled" after running into technical difficulties. Facebook is now trying to recruit engineers with previous mobile phone experience to streamline the process.
Facebook has a natural interest in selling smartphones. The company already has incredibly popular mobile apps for iOS and Android, but lacks much control on those platforms.
“Mark is worried that if he doesn’t create a mobile phone in the near future that Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms,” a Facebook employee said
Popular Stories
March has been an incredibly busy month for Apple, with the company unveiling more than 10 new products and accessories. We said hello to the MacBook Neo at the start of the month, and we bid farewell to the Mac Pro at the end of it.
Nevertheless, there is still a lot more to come this year.
Beyond the usual annual updates to iPhones and Apple Watches, Apple's all-new smart home hub is...
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
Apple is expected to release two new iPhone apps this year, including an Apple Business app and a Siri app with chatbot-like functionality.
With the Apple Business app, employees at businesses using the new Apple Business platform will be able to install apps for work, view contact information for colleagues, and request support. Apple Business is launching on April 14, and it replaces Apple ...