Facebook is reportedly planning to change its name to better reflect Mark Zuckerberg's goal of creating a "metaverse," reportsThe Verge, claiming the change could come as soon as next week.
From the report:
The coming name change, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to talk about at the company's annual Connect conference on October 28th, but could unveil sooner, is meant to signal the tech giant's ambition to be known for more than social media and all the ills that entail. The rebrand would likely position the blue Facebook app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing groups like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, and more. A spokesperson for Facebook declined to comment for this story.
Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to shift people's mindset around Facebook, no longer limiting it to just a social media company but to "being a metaverse company." The naming change also comes amid heightened scrutiny on Facebook following a whistleblower sharing several internal documents from the social media company.
A rebrand could also serve to further separate the futuristic work Zuckerberg is focused on from the intense scrutiny Facebook is currently under for the way its social platform operates today. A former employee turned whistleblower, Frances Haugen, recently leaked a trove of damning internal documents to The Wall Street Journal and testified about them before Congress.
As for what Facebook's new name and brand could be, it's not entirely clear. The Verge says that even some of Facebook's own high-ranking leadership executives are not aware of the name, but speculates it could have something to do with "Horizon."
I'm told that the new Facebook company name is a closely-guarded secret within its walls and not known widely, even among its full senior leadership. A possible name could have something to do with Horizon, the name of the still-unreleased VR version of Facebook-meets-Roblox that the company has been developing for the past few years.
Facebook's forthcoming change draws stark similarities to 2015 when Google restructured to be under "Alphabet," its holding company that includes Google itself and its subsidiaries.
Sounds similar to when Comcast changed its name to Xfinity because it had landed at or near the bottom of every customer satisfaction survey, including "most hated companies in America" (Forbes or Fortune, I get them mixed up) and at the top of every customer complaint list. CEO: "Comcast? Never heard of it."
Thursday October 28, 2021 11:21 am PDT by Juli Clover
Facebook today held a live event to talk about the "metaverse," aka the virtual and augmented reality evolution of social technology in the future, and as part of the presentation, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new name for the company. Going forward, Facebook the company will be known as "Meta," while Facebook will still be available as a social media product alongside WhatsApp...
Facebook, now rebranded to Meta, is looking to open physical retail stores where customers will be able to experience the wide range of products it has to offer, such as Oculus headsets, in a "welcoming" and "judgment-free" experience, according to a new report from The New York Times.
The report says that Facebook executives began floating the idea of a physical retail store last year, but...
Tuesday October 26, 2021 3:46 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Apple's privacy rules are "negatively affecting" Facebook, and its business, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed during its most recent earnings call.
As a quick refresher, starting with iOS 14.5 and all newer versions of iOS and iPadOS, Apple requires that apps ask for users' permission to track them across other apps and websites. Under the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, the...
Thursday August 19, 2021 4:29 pm PDT by Juli Clover
The United States Federal Trade Commission today reinforced its antitrust case against Facebook by providing more detail on how the company either crushed or bought out its rivals in an attempt to get rid of competition.
The updated filing is longer than the original complaint and it offers additional evidence in favor of the FTC's argument that Facebook is a monopolist, plus it again asks...
Wednesday September 29, 2021 8:18 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Facebook today announced that it's bringing Reels, its short-form videos that were previously only available on the Instagram platform, to its main Facebook app on iOS and Android in the United States. While the two share the same name and style, Reels content on Instagram and Facebook will differ. Facebook says it is testing the ability for Instagram Reels content creators to share their...
Facebook is developing a health and messaging-focused smartwatch to compete with the Apple Watch, according to recent reports.
The Information and The Verge have reported Facebook's internal plans to bring an Apple Watch-style smartwatch to market.
Facebook's smartwatch is said to work with a cellular connection without the need for a tethered smartphone. It will apparently run a version...
Facebook is re-adding voice and video calling features to its main Facebook app after moving the features to Messenger back in 2014, reports Bloomberg.
Users in some countries including the United States are now able to make voice or video calls directly from the Facebook app. As of now, Facebook is testing the feature, which is meant to cut down on the number of times that Facebook users...
Wednesday November 3, 2021 11:52 am PDT by Juli Clover
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today announced changes to Facebook's "Subscriptions" tool, which will see Facebook testing Apple's App Store guidelines in an effort to secure more money for content creators.
With Subscriptions, content creators can allow their fans to sign up to pay them a monthly subscription fee, similar to Patreon. Going forward, Facebook is implementing a "promotional link" in ...
Thursday October 28, 2021 4:30 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has been working on a smart watch designed to compete with the Apple Watch since early this year, and now Bloomberg has obtained pictures of the device.
The smart watch has a design that's not too far off from the Apple Watch, but it is wider and rounder with more curved edges. There is a camera at the bottom of the display, along with a control...
Facebook has been working on a new smart watch for the last several months, and The Verge today unveiled new details about the device, which will compete with the Apple Watch.
The Facebook smart watch will have a detachable display with two built-in cameras for taking pictures and videos to share on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
A camera on the front of the watch's display will be...
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