Facebook Deny Rumours of Mobile Phone Development

In a report published yesterday by techcrunch.com, it was alleged that Facebook are in the process of developing their own mobile phone akin to the Google Android OS. Despite attempts at quenching such curiosity via direct denial, many are not convinced by the social media giant's words of dissuasion.

According to “a source”, Facebook are engaged in the development of mobile phone software, and are working with an external company in the production of the hardware components. At a time when Apple, Google and Microsoft have produced their own phones, it would appear that the logical next step for Facebook is to jump on the mobile bandwagon.

However, one day after the appearance of the sensational scoop, Facebook issued a swift denial of any ambitions of “building a mobile phone”. The use of the word “building” has served to add fuel to the fire, with many interpreting this choice of word as an attempt to avoid the truth without lying outright. Facebook may not be building a phone, but they have not denied their ambition to create mobile phone software.

It is certain that Facebook is eager to delve deeper into the mobile sphere, launching its 'Places' application in the UK last week. The service allows users to locate various places of interest within a certain area, as well as locating the whereabouts of Facebook friends in that region. Facebook spokesperson Jaime Schopflin explained that while the company was not building a mobile phone of its own, “[Facebook's] approach has always been to make phones and apps more social”

It is also true that social networking via mobile phones witnessed a sharp rise over the past year. With the proliferation of smart-phones and a subsequent ease of access to the internet via mobile technology, a 240 % increase in social media access through mobile phones occurred since April 2009 according to a recent study by ComScore.com.

This statistic, along with the potential to more effectively serve its 150 million mobile users, it seems sensible that Facebook would be tempted to move further into the mobile phone industry alongside Google and Apple.

Further reasoning is highlighted by Dan Frommer of Business Insider, who cites several major driving forces behind the credibility of the Facebook phone. According to Frommer, the requisite for Facebook to become a “a platform, not a service” if the social media firm is to “have as much impact on the mobile world as it has on the web.”

So, despite robust disaffirmations from Facebook, they cannot shake off the recent speculation. Perhaps Jaime Schopflin is accurate in dismissing the continuous assumption as a naïve response to an “attractive soundbite”, however, with such attractive arguments emanating from all across the internet, it will be hard to resist the thought that a Facebook Phone may be on the horizon.