Not only is Facebook ready to shake up the digital world once again and redefine what we expect from our social media experiences, but they are doing so in a relatively new direction for the company – and diving headfirst into the world of apps!
This isn’t a “reboot” of the failed Facebook Phone concept that was supposed to be the “next big thing” just a few years ago, but instead a very specific strategy aimed towards transforming the way we use apps and the way they interact with one another.
They have already made a pretty major acquisition in the fitness apps world. Facebook has been pretty active at snapping up hot properties when they get the chance (Instagram, anyone?), but this is a new approach, even for them.
Major news for Facebook and apps at the F8 Developers Conference
F8 has always been a bit of an “in-house festival” where Facebook can interface directly with their developers to show off new tools, technologies, and other “killer concepts”, but this year was more than a little bit different.
Apparently, 2014 and beyond is going to be all about tight mobile application integration between Facebook properties and Facebook functionality – including the “like” button and a whole host of other really cool features.
All of these features are designed to basically interlink and create cross functionality for different applications by allowing them to link into the data and resources that each app generates or records are this creates a seamless experience on your mobile device, and allows you to quickly “flip throughout all of your applications while they share data so that you can get the most out of each and every one of them.
On top of that, Facebook unveiled a new mobile advertising network. Market research has shown that mobile advertising is becoming more and more important, and is potentially a multibillion-dollar marketplace in just a few short years. Different companies have clear around with mobile advertising platforms, but none of them are taking the plunge quite the same way that Facebook – and maybe Google and a few select others – are willing to.
Taking on Google?
And that’s really what all of these moves seem to boil down to.
Facebook is clearly squaring off against Google, looking to create the same kind of “seamless experience” that Google created for the traditional web on the mobile Internet.
Whether or not they are able to it is still a bit up in the air, but it’s definitely going to be well worth keeping an eye on all of the new developments as the year goes on. Developers are going to have a field day with all of the new tools, technologies, and resources at their disposal, so it shouldn’t be all that long before we get to see new applications leveraging this advanced tech.
In other (related) news, Facebook locks up a killer fitness app with big acquisition
Another big move that happened just a few days ago (at the tail end of April) is that Facebook made the acquisition of Helsinki-based developer ProtoGeo Oy – creators of a number of overwhelmingly popular fitness apps but most well-known for their Moves App.
Released in late 2013, the Moves App already has over 4 million downloads across iOS and Android devices and shows that Facebook isn’t just interested in recording social media data – they want to get their hands on any and all data that they can!
Whether they decide to invest in more fitness apps in the future or plan to continue developing Moves App is also still a bit up in the air, but the sky is the limit for this leading company!
What’s next for Facebook?
It’s impossible to know what Facebook has up their sleeve. After all, not many people saw them spending $19 billion for WhatApp or $2 billion for Oculus Rift, but the tech giant continues to surprise, funnel, and excite and almost every opportunity.
We know one thing for sure – Facebook continues to push forward with everything they’ve got, holding absolutely nothing in reserve!
