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.
First, if this is true, I think it will flop. Second, I’ve seen some sites saying that this should worry Apple, why? If anyone should worry is Google, since most likely this will be done with yet another fork of Android where they won’t be invited, and it will keep search tied to Bing. And also, it will get Larry Paige’s hair a little more gray, as this would keep Google out of the open web, of which they are the guardians and saviors.
