Facebook to reportedly unveil iOS competitor at April event

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  • Reply 41 of 105
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    And it isn't even April 1st yet.
  • Reply 42 of 105
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    This is getting ridiculous. I can at least understand why Amazon, who has had the Kindle for years, and Mozilla would want to make a mobile OS, but Facebook is just a bit daft. Who's next, Dropbox OS and GoDaddy OS?
    mac_128 wrote: »
    Facebook MUST find a way to start making money. So this makes perfect sense,

    There are those who live most of their lives on Facebook. What better way to enable them than to give them a Facebook integrated phone, that leverages their friends and family contacts directly into the phone directory? This might actually be the shot in the arm Facebook has been looking for ...

    Will that bring profits? I guess there's no good model to compare to, because no other social media service of note has tried to offer a phone. Amazon would make sense before Facebook because they can use the device to sell their media, which they need since their standby model of selling physical media is waning. I think it's also a question of what FB users will do in reaction to this, if it happens. I think they would need to argue a benefit to make it worth switching phones. There's a question of how well the device will add value to the service, or how well the service will add value to the device.


    Their problem on mobile is revenue generation. So perhaps they have decided the only way to control this and not give up any revenue to Apple is to *own* the OS.

    On a side note, this will vindicate MG Siegler, who has been predicting a Facebook smartphone as long as Gene Munster has been telling us about an Apple TV.

    First, I need to know this: Is Facebook actually giving any revenue to Apple, or is this just an assumption?

    ireland wrote: »
    They are making money.

    Sure, but how many micro pennies on the dollar is that? I'm guessing nowhere near what shareholders are going to expect as the months and years roll on.
  • Reply 43 of 105

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    This is getting ridiculous. I can at least understand why Amazon, who has had the Kindle for years, and Mozilla would want to make a mobile OS, but Facebook is just a bit daft. Who's next, Dropbox OS and GoDaddy OS?


     


    It seems to me we're really in unchartered territory.  As much as I dislike advertising, I'm happy to see Facebook jump into the arena.  As others have pointed out, they have 1B users, and presumably some of them will like the idea of a FB phone.  I see it as threatening Google, since Google and FB compete so fiercely for eyeballs and advertising dollars.  But does it threaten Apple?  I don't see it.  I see it as just that much more fragmentation of Android which I quite like.  (It's starting to resemble fractals in my imagination.)


     


    And one more thing:  M$ still likes to think that their OS is valuable.  But Android/Linux is free and Windows Phone offers very few extra valuable features.  So I see a FB phone as even more evidence that M$ is quickly becoming a has-been.  Brave new world!

  • Reply 44 of 105
    r00fusr00fus Posts: 245member
    The "FacePhone" would have one major selling point - you might never have to dial or type an email address again. Hell they could even market it as your social advisor.

    Never underestimate the willingness of the public at large to give up vast amounts of their privacy and security for convenience.
  • Reply 45 of 105
    tzeshantzeshan Posts: 2,351member


    Facebook execs are stupid.  Facebook is not going to make money by selling the hardware.  How many Facebook users do they expect will switch to using this phone?  Facebook will end up serving two groups of members.  They can not make the services drastically different.  Further, I can not see what significant services that Facebook can not deliver to iPhone users.  

  • Reply 46 of 105
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by r00fus View Post



    Never underestimate the willingness of the public at large to give up vast amounts of their privacy and security for convenience.


     


    Those who sacrifice privacy/security for convenience deserves neither.

  • Reply 47 of 105
    This seems colossally stupid.
  • Reply 48 of 105


    When is Kayak coming out with an OS and phone?  And Angry Birds? 

     

  • Reply 49 of 105
    monstrositymonstrosity Posts: 2,234member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ankleskater View Post




    I presume you're kidding because, otherwise, you are wrong on all counts:


     


    - It's not obvious.


    - They do not have a good chance at dominating Android market.


    - It would be the worst decision Facebook ever made.


     


    But, as I said, you are kidding.



    Just remember this post in a few years...

  • Reply 50 of 105
    tzeshantzeshan Posts: 2,351member


    I have an excellent idea.  Apple could modify its iOS to allow customers to customize the UI to whatever they like.  So Facebook can provide not just apps but UIs to its members to modify iPhone/iPad.  Apple will still provide whatever service that Facebook choose to keep.  User can go to Facebook.com to convert his iPhone to Facebook iPhone or to Amazon.com to convert to Amazon iPhone.  When he gets tired he can convert it to other iPhones easily.  

  • Reply 51 of 105
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    mac_128 wrote: »
    Facebook MUST find a way to start making money. So this makes perfect sense,

    There are those who live most of their lives on Facebook. What better way to enable them than to give them a Facebook integrated phone, that leverages their friends and family contacts directly into the phone directory? This might actually be the shot in the arm Facebook has been looking for ...
    Nonsense - FB users already can do this through iOS and the FB app - this makes no sense and will be a big flop. The reality is that people are tiring of Facebook and visiting lit less and less. It is becoming a complicated over- commercialized cluster FK dominated by people with a lot of time to kill.
  • Reply 52 of 105
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member


    Perhaps what Apple did with iOS - making a Twitter framework that you sign in to once and all apps use - perhaps they have made a similar thing for Android. I doubt they would do their own OS, even if just an Android fork, that is a massive undertaking.

  • Reply 53 of 105
    65c81665c816 Posts: 136member
    And it is going to play Farmville and Mafia Wars, right? Without that, how can it ever succeed... :)
  • Reply 54 of 105
    jgutherjguther Posts: 97member
    all your data belong to us...
  • Reply 55 of 105
    rayzrayz Posts: 814member


    Most probably just an Android phone with a Facebook skin. I don't believe they're going to be doing any serious work to build their own operating system, even using  Android as a base.


     


    Another Android phone, basically.

  • Reply 56 of 105
    9secondko9secondko Posts: 929member
    Stupid idea.

    Hopefully they didn't invest too much into this pre-flop.

    Facebook makes money currently from ad revenue.

    And they're doing alright.

    They just want to be google. Own everyone's info.

    But most people don't want every detail of their computing life owned by a company known for "accidents."
  • Reply 57 of 105
    mikeb85mikeb85 Posts: 506member


    They've already released 'Facebook' phones.  One was the HTC Status, a Blackberry lookalike with a dedicated Facebook button...  It will likely just be another phone with a bit of Facebook branding and integration.  Or it could even just be another app...  


     


    Facebook doesn't need to release their own OS, it would be more of a headache than it would be worth it...

  • Reply 58 of 105
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Oh great, my two favorite things combined and rolled up into one beautiful and highly effective synergy, Facebook and Android.image


     


    I can't stand either Facebook or Android, my dislike for both of them combined can not be described by mere words.image


     


    And who would hire somebody with a Facebook phone? That tells you right there that the person is a real loser, somebody who probably can't go more than a few minutes without checking in on all of the "action" that is taking place in their fake, virtual world. It sounds highly unproductive.





    Damn, I can't help but agree with you today ^^'

  • Reply 59 of 105
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member
    Could be a replacement app launcher with a very interactive homepage... kind of like HTC's Blinkfeed, but focused around Facebook actions.

    If they were smart, they'd also have a nice tablet version that took advantage of the extra screen space.

    Such an always-there Facebook launcher could be quite popular, and sell a lot of phones and tablets. Heck, it'd be great for grandparents wanting to keep up with their families.

    (I've always thought that Flipboard should do this.)
  • Reply 60 of 105
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by KDarling View Post



    Could be a replacement app launcher with a very interactive homepage... kind of like HTC's Blinkfeed, but focused around Facebook actions.


    Hmmm... that would also give new "home" on Android a double meaning.

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