Richard Williamson, who led the team responsible for iOS 6 Maps, and was ultimately let go by Apple following it's controversial release, is now reportedly working at Facebook. According to Adam Satariano of Bloomberg, Williamson has been at Facebook for a couple of weeks at least. And what's more, he's not alone:
Other former Apple employees brought in by Zuckerberg include Greg Novick, a former iPhone manager who helped develop the device’s touch interface; Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris, software designers who joined when Facebook acquired their company Push Pop Press; and software engineers Scott Goodson, Tim Omernick and Chris Tremblay.
In a separate move, Facebook has also hired Loren Brichter, the software designer behind Twitter Inc.’s original iPhone app and the word-puzzle game Letterpress, as a consultant, two of the people said. Brichter also once worked at Apple.
Rockstars all. And you have to admit, whatever else you think about Facebook, they're getting a huge amount of attention, and headlines lately. That kind of attention feels like momentum, and that's something in mobile right now, especially with Apple still in their "quiet period".
And once again it begs the question as to what Facebook's short and long term goals are. Is Facebook Home an end-game or only just the beginning? Will Williamson build for Facebook a very social Facebook Maps app?
Will we soon be able to "Like" our friends' houses and bounce their Chat Heads off the bar we're all hoping to meet up at later?
Facebook has already released a Messenger (now also VoIP) app, and a Camera app, and even a SnapChat app. Add a Maps app to the mix, and a few others, and you start to have a lot more than a Home on Android.
To swing back the Facebook Home-as-facehugger analogy, you start to completely take over and re-write the experience. You start to xenomorph your way into a full-on phone.
Source: Bloomberg
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/uOYLmPjldc8/story01.htm
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