Original title:Facebook IncAn autonomous operating system is being built to prevent hardware such as AR glasses from being subject toAlphabet Inc-CL CSource:36Kr Holdings
"We really want to ensure that there is room for future growth, but we cannot trust the market or competitors to ensure that."
Facebook Inc (FB.US) set out again to build an autonomous operating system to seek more control over mobile devices.
On December 20th, the media reported that Facebook Inc had entrustedMicrosoft Corp(MSFT.US) Windows NT co-developer Mark Lukovsky (Mark Lucovsky) built his own operating system from scratch, saying he didn't want hardware such as his Oculus or AR glasses to be beholden to Alphabet Inc-CL C's (GOOG.US) because they all relied on the latter's Android operating system.
However, Facebook Inc's smartphone app will still run on Android.
"We really want to ensure future growth, but we can't trust the market or competitors to ensure that, so we have to do it ourselves," said Andrew Bosworth, vice president of Facebook Inc hardware.
In fact, Facebook Inc has always been annoyed that he had to rely on competitors' software. Among these competitors areApple(AAPL.US), whose CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly attacked Facebook Inc and Mark Zuckerberg over privacy and data collection issues.
In fact, Facebook Inc began to seek more control over mobile devices from operating system giants in 2013. Earlier, there were media reports that Facebook Inc was involved in a secret project codenamed Oxygen around 2013. If necessary, the project will help Facebook Inc distribute Android apps outside the Google Play App Store, but it failed, and the HTC First and Facebook Inc Home projects were shelved.
However, Facebook Inc's efforts on the hardware did not stop, setting up a new office for the AR/VR team in Burlingame, north of the company's headquarters, covering an area of more than 650sq m that can accommodate about 4000 employees. Facebook Inc pointed out that the team will move there in the second half of 2020, making use of its laboratory, prototype space and test area.
Facebook Inc plans to open an experiential space for the public, which may be the first place where Facebook Inc's brand experience can be visited by anyone. There, people will be able to experience their AR and virtual reality (VR) products. These products include the Oculus Quest helmet and Facebook Inc Portal smart display screen currently on sale, as well as the upcoming camera glasses made in partnership with Ray Ban manufacturer Luxottica, and finally its mature AR glasses.
Facebook Inc pointed out that the focus of this work (building an autonomous operating system) is on what AR glasses need, and the company is now exploring all options, including the possibility of working with other companies or building a custom operating system specifically for AR.
In addition, Facebook Inc is considering building real retail space in Burlingham's office so that people can experience it before buying its hardware products. Outsiders believe that this will be an important step for Facebook Inc to emulate Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp to establish their own-brand retail stores.