Facebook reportedly plans to stop developing consumer versions of its Portal smart home device for video calls and focus on business-oriented solutions like conferences. The decision marks another fault of Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire, which imposes a moratorium on purchases in multiple divisions.
The Verge reports that Facebook plans to discontinue consumer versions of its Portal smart home device for video calls, instead focusing the product on business applications like conferencing. Change comes as Facebook starts tweaking its hardware plans, as investors continue to worry about the billions of dollars the company is spending on unprofitable projects.
Mark Zuckerberg surrounded by security (Chip Somodeville/Getty)
Mark Zuckerberg throws spear (Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook)
Facebook launched its first Portal devices in 2018, with two screens planned to be used as video calling stations, as well as those that support apps like Spotify and stream content from the Food Network. But the screens have limited functionality, and their affiliation with Facebook, which has faced many privacy scandals in recent years, did not boost consumers’ confidence when it tried to offer them Facebook’s always-on home camera.
Facebook has released new versions of Portal devices, including the portable Portal Go, but this line has failed to attract consumer interest. Research firm IDC estimates that Facebook will ship 800,000 Portal devices by 2021, less than one percent of the global home assistant market with smart speakers. Facebook currently sells four Portal products, including the $99 TV camera and $349 smart display.
Breitbart News reported on recent Facebook issues, including the hiring suspension:
Due to “slower-than-expected revenue growth,” Facebook has suspended company-wide hiring and has no intention of meeting its hiring targets set earlier in the year. According to the memo, the company’s concerns stem from changes in Apple’s privacy, the war in Ukraine, and the “general macroeconomic environment.”
The company is reportedly no longer taking on certain engineering positions and is starting to put recruits and low-level data scientists to rest. Many employees are starting to fear the impending layoff, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at an internal general meeting last week that no layoffs are planned.
“I can’t promise that we won’t have to sit here and rethink when things change,” Zuckerberg said. “But what I can tell you is we don’t expect to do that where we’re sitting right now. Instead, it’s important that we drive growth to levels we think will be manageable over time.”
Read more about The Edge here.
Source: Breitbart
