Facebook is looking to build its own operating system to take on Android

Facebook started out as a social media platform in 2007 and has moved on to become one of the biggest companies in the world. The company now owns other social media platforms such as Instagram and even messaging apps such as the wildly popular WhatsApp. Facebook has even jumped into the VR world with the purchase of Oculus. And now, the company is looking at building its own in-house custom operating system. Facebook still uses heavily modified versions of Android on its own devices such as Portal and Oculus but is looking at keeping things in house. 

The social media giant has hired one of the original heads of Windows NT to take the lead on this endeavour. Originally reported by The Information, Facebook employed the services of Marc Lucovsky who was instrumental in the development of Windows NT. The company did not fully confirm the existence of the project but did confirm that Facebook is looking to diversify its portfolio. The head of hardware, Andrew Bosworth said, “We really want to make sure the next generation has space for us. We don’t think we can trust the marketplace or competitors to ensure that’s the case. And so we’re gonna do it ourselves.”

Facebook could be looking to build this custom operating system for it’s range of Oculus devices. And even though VR hasn’t really taken off, there is still hope for the future of Virtual Reality devices and media. If this report is true, then the future of Oculus could look very different from the current version. Facebook will be starting from scratch and looking to develop an OS that is perfectly suited to its VR devices rather than program a version of Android that is not the best fit for the VR platform. 

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2Q9vpQP