Facebook Hires Former Apple Engineers to Help It Build a Smartphone?

Facebook has reportedly hired more than half a dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers to help it build a smartphone, according to the New York Times.

The smartphone will be Facebook's third attempt at a mobile device, says the report.

"In 2010, the blog TechCrunch reported that Facebook was working on a smartphone. The project crumbled after the company realized the difficulties involved, according to people who had worked on it. The Web site AllThingsD reported last year that Facebook and HTC had entered a partnership to create a smartphone, code-named "Buffy," which is still in the works."


Facebook is said to be expanding the 'Buffy' project by bringing in hardware engineers who have experience building a device.

One engineer who formerly worked at Apple and worked on the iPhone said he met with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, who then peppered him with questions about the inner workings of smartphones. It did not sound like idle intellectual curiosity, the engineer said; Mr. Zuckerberg asked about intricate details, including the types of chips used, he said. Another former Apple hardware engineer was recruited by a Facebook executive and was told about the company's hardware explorations.

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