Apple Engineers Join Facebook Smartphone Project

For several months now, there have been periodic discussions about the possible release of a Facebook-branded smartphone: the project to launch a Facebookphone is indeed in the air, but there seems to be no certainty yet regarding the timeline for its development and launch.
However, a curious piece of news has emerged today, reported by the New York Times, which suggests a strong intention to accelerate the release of the Facebook smartphone.
According to some rumors, the social network giant has contacted and begun negotiations with at least 5 or 6 Apple engineers.
It appears that, specifically, these are individuals who worked on the creation of the iPhone and iPad.
It is unclear whether they are developing a smartphone from scratch, establishing an entirely new project, or if the intention is to begin refining the Buffy smartphone, the device HTC was working on for Facebook, as documented in a FullPress article from November 22nd.
Certainly, Mark Zuckerberg is targeting the mobile sector, attempting to bring new life to Facebook, which currently risks remaining a simple application for smartphones and tablets without ever making the “leap in quality.”

Instead, the father of Facebook aims to create a kind of comprehensive system, much like Apple products have always accustomed their users to.
Perhaps this is the reason for recruiting personnel from the Cupertino labs, with the probable hope of creating an all-encompassing environment based on the platform of the blue website, surrounded by other closely connected elements.
The hypothesis of Facebook acquiring Opera wouldn’t be out of place in this context: having their own browsing browser would complete the picture.
If the Facebook smartphone project truly gains momentum, the new device could hit stores as early as the first half of 2013.