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Why Zuckerberg Has No Desire To Build A Facebook Phone

15 points by GCA10 14y ago

onedev 14y ago
Look, this is being written about everywhere, and I think the reason a Facebook phone won't exist is really really simple; hardware is a tough business. Hardware is low-margin, capital intensive, and not many succeed. There is very little reason for a company like FB, which is running a super high margin software business needs to get into the hardware game. Absolutely no reason. IF they wanted to get into hardware, they would do so through a proxy like a mobile OS or an Android fork OR through branding partnerships with existing hardware manufacturers (branding on Touch-wiz or Sense).
- GCA10 14y ago
  Totally correct. Given Mark Zuckerberg's huge ambitions for Facebook, though, it's interesting to see him actually rule out one adjacent business that he doesn't want to go into.
- darknoon 14y ago
  Not to mention it would distract them from making the iPhone and Android mobile apps great, which is kinda important right now. They need their best designers and engineers working on making great UI for the existing platforms, not building yet another dead-end mobile platform.
- r00fus 14y ago
  Facebook just needs to sell it's identity presence as a service to handset manufacturers. If you can have your phonebook, and also lookup on Facebook all while in your phone.app - that'd be useful.
  - untog 14y ago
    That already exists, no? Pretty sure my Facebook app on Android asked me for sync options when I first signed in.
    - cheald 14y ago
      It definitely exists on Android.
    - onedev 14y ago
      I can confirm that this exists in iOS 6 also.
- nathanstitt 14y ago
  I agree. Lets say that somehow FB overcomes the hurdles you've outlined. What do they gain? What additional capabilities would having a platform they own give them over what they can achieve on ios and adroid? Not to mention that the I'm sure Apple would boot them out of their newly gained built-in status, and wouldn't surprise me if Google penalized them somehow. I just can't see any upside and quite a few potentially very grave downsides.
vermontdevil 14y ago
Business Insiders would be sad to read this. It might end their endless link baiting on this topic.
- joonix 14y ago
  Here Is Why Facebook Will Build a Phone This Summer, And It Will Be Huge

15 points by GCA10 14y ago

Look, this is being written about everywhere, and I think the reason a Facebook phone won't exist is really really simple; hardware is a tough business. Hardware is low-margin, capital intensive, and not many succeed. There is very little reason for a company like FB, which is running a super high margin software business needs to get into the hardware game. Absolutely no reason. IF they wanted to get into hardware, they would do so through a proxy like a mobile OS or an Android fork OR through branding partnerships with existing hardware manufacturers (branding on Touch-wiz or Sense).

GCA10 14y ago
Totally correct. Given Mark Zuckerberg's huge ambitions for Facebook, though, it's interesting to see him actually rule out one adjacent business that he doesn't want to go into.
darknoon 14y ago
Not to mention it would distract them from making the iPhone and Android mobile apps great, which is kinda important right now. They need their best designers and engineers working on making great UI for the existing platforms, not building yet another dead-end mobile platform.
r00fus 14y ago
Facebook just needs to sell it's identity presence as a service to handset manufacturers. If you can have your phonebook, and also lookup on Facebook all while in your phone.app - that'd be useful.
- untog 14y ago
  That already exists, no? Pretty sure my Facebook app on Android asked me for sync options when I first signed in.
  - cheald 14y ago
    It definitely exists on Android.
  - onedev 14y ago
    I can confirm that this exists in iOS 6 also.
nathanstitt 14y ago
I agree. Lets say that somehow FB overcomes the hurdles you've outlined. What do they gain? What additional capabilities would having a platform they own give them over what they can achieve on ios and adroid? Not to mention that the I'm sure Apple would boot them out of their newly gained built-in status, and wouldn't surprise me if Google penalized them somehow. I just can't see any upside and quite a few potentially very grave downsides.

vermontdevil 14y ago

Business Insiders would be sad to read this. It might end their endless link baiting on this topic.

joonix 14y ago
Here Is Why Facebook Will Build a Phone This Summer, And It Will Be Huge