Facebook Aims to Bypass Apple, Become Big Mobile Player

Facebook is reportedly working
on an optimized website for
Apple ’s Safari browser, bypassing
Apple’s strict platform controls,
as the social networking giant
looks to become an even bigger
player in the mobile industry.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based social
networking giant ’s new mobile
platform is called Project Spartan,
according to reports, and the
system uses HTML5 standards
that allow it to run on Apple ’s iOS
devices like its iPhone and iPad.
Rather than adhering to Apple’s
tight control over iOS, Facebook
has turned to the Internet, rather
than the App Store. Because
Facebook ’s platform will be web-
based, Apple cannot implement
the rules it has for developers
creating apps for its devices. The
Internet, on the other hand, has
no governing body and few rules
companies must follow, allowing
Facebook more freedom in its
project.
Facebook hopes to attract
customers to use the iOS-
optimized Web site, and steer
them away from Facebook
applications offered in the Apple
App Store. The social network
company plans to offer its own
applications for the Web-based
platform, which would also not
go through the rigorous
approval system.
This latest move is part of
Facebook ’s plan to enter the
mobile market. Earlier this year,
the company said it would begin
to purchase mobile start-up
companies in an attempt to
compete with rival Google.
“We’re really focused on
acquisitions,” said Bret Taylor,
Facebook’s chief technology
officer. “Every investment we
make is aligning ourselves with
the vision of being a platform
company. ”
Following suit, two months later,
the company purchased mobile
app developer Snaptu, which
creates programs that give
“ feature phones,” or older
devices not running mobile
operating systems, a
smartphone-like feel and
experience. According to
research firm Nielsen, 70 percent
of phone sales are still non-
smartphone devices, so
Facebook stands to make money
from those who want
smartphone-like devices but
cannot afford them.
In February, Facebook and phone
maker INQ Mobile unveiled two
smartphones running on
Android that offer deep
Facebook integration. These
devices allow users to access the
site ’s more advanced functions,
such as viewing news feeds with
images and videos, chatting on
the page and posting location-
based check-ins.