Facebook's not-a-phone gets not-a-commercial

Facebook's not-a-phone gets not-a-commercial | iMore.com Skip to main content Android BlackBerry iPhone / iPad Windows Phone webOS SIGN UP|LOG IN iMore Forums Apps Games Accessories Reviews How-To Podcasts Contests iPhone iPad mini iPad iPod touch Apple TV iOS iCloud iTunes Mac Hot: iPhone 5S Guides: iPhone buyers | iPad buyers | iOS users Free: Wallpaper | iPhone apps, games | iPad apps, games Shop Online Cases Chargers Screen protectors Headsets & More Free shipping on orders over $50 Facebook's not-a-phone gets not-a-commercial By Rene Ritchie, Saturday, Apr 6, 2013 a 7:43 pm 23

Facebook, like Microsoft before it, chose to pitch their new Home interface as people-centric rather than app-centric like Apple, has released a commercial of sorts in hopes of selling the idea to the masses. And... I'm not really sure what vibe they were going for, but I found it somewhere between the original Palm Pre lady and Google give-us-all-your-stuff early efforts on the creepy scale.

If you like Facebook and aren't opposed to them getting all up in your information in exchange for socially sorted communications and connections, I don't know how this commercial helps make you feel better about giving them that level of trust. If you're scared of Facebook and don't want their tentacles anywhere near your life or loved ones, I don't know how this commercial helps move you from that opinion.

In the demo, as in the ad, we see people swiping between between beautiful photographs of gorgeous moments. A quick look at my, admittedly neglected timeline shows a bunch of meme pics and drunken mobile shots I'd sooner never see again.

I like a lot of the design work their team put in, and like I said before the event, I think the idea of Facebook face-hugging Android and injecting it with their xenomorph DNA is tactically smart, but even the best of experiences can suffer from the worst of intentions.

Bottom line, the idea of all these social and search giants giving me the services equivalent a lobster dinner, and then expecting me to put out because of it, is still a deal breaker. I'm still happy to pay for my dinner at this point.

Sadly, there's no unlike button.

Rene Ritchie

Editor-in-Chief of iMore, co-host of Iterate, Debug, ZEN and TECH, MacBreak Weekly. Cook, grappler, photon wrangler. Follow him on Twitter, App.net, Google+.

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More of: facebook home, The Competition, Facebook ? PreviouslyiMore Editors' Choice: Badland, Soundcloud, Veronica Mars, and more Next up ?Editor's desk: Big Apple Apple There are 23 comments. Add yours. visialb says: Apr 6, 2013 at 7:47 pm - 1 day ago

Ugly.

Reply uwatto says: Apr 6, 2013 at 8:10 pm - 1 day ago

I know a lot of girls who live on facebook on their iPhones , i wonder will this tempt them to ditch ios for android , i think it looks ok, but too in your face plus i hate anything thats a drain on my battery

Reply Antrikshy says: Apr 6, 2013 at 8:32 pm - 1 day ago

Spoilers: It won't. But why does it matter anyway?

Reply Easy-G says: Apr 6, 2013 at 8:51 pm - 1 day ago

Honestly looks like a commercial for an app... Like Umi said in his article, I can't see this being a deciding factor for a meaningful number of consumers.

Reply cardfan says: Apr 6, 2013 at 9:37 pm - 23 hours ago

Much ado about nothing special IMO. The more interesting part was that HTC is coming out with a pure android device that you can disable the facebook garbage. No direct updates but it will have LTE.

Reply anthonyjpv says: Apr 6, 2013 at 9:48 pm - 23 hours ago

This has to be one of the worst commercials ever.
There was nothing that drew me to Facebook. To me, he was looking at pictures in an app.
Nothing funny, cute, appealing. Seriously..that was bad. They should have just said "wifi in the airplane, during all domestic flights" and id have thought it was an airline commercial. So vague..

Reply PassOutPete says: Apr 7, 2013 at 10:32 am - 10 hours ago

Can I get an amen! I'd rather watch one of those old-school Quiznos subs commercials! ($1.99 with any coupon!)

Reply asuperstarr says: Apr 6, 2013 at 9:51 pm - 23 hours ago

I don't get it. I guess that's why I don't use Facebook. I guess I will send a tweet now.

Reply Gsarfin says: Apr 6, 2013 at 10:13 pm - 22 hours ago

Dumb! Looked like a commercial for drag queens!

Reply R1cki97 says: Apr 6, 2013 at 10:16 pm - 22 hours ago

I kinda want it facebook home support ios so i can use and see if is worth

Reply metllicamilitia says: Apr 6, 2013 at 10:36 pm - 22 hours ago

This commercial is pointless and useless. For tech geeks. For others it shows them the phone and the idea. I personally hate the idea of Facebook Home but I love the design of the HTC First, also I hate the name of the phone. I think it's too little too late for Facebook.

Reply cardfan says: Apr 7, 2013 at 10:31 am - 10 hours ago

The naming is strange. So much for the One branding. I guess they didn't learn after all. I'd at least went for HTC Facebook.

Reply shinuyuki says: Apr 7, 2013 at 3:48 am - 17 hours ago

What a dumb commercial. Bah!

Reply thestillwind says: Apr 7, 2013 at 5:46 am - 15 hours ago

That ad is a total garbage! I hope their apps won't be as glitchy as the facebook apps for ios and android.

Reply Ratane says: Apr 7, 2013 at 6:03 am - 15 hours ago

Don't get the idea behind Facebook phone.

Reply Ces1ne says: Apr 7, 2013 at 3:48 pm - 5 hours ago

Um, it's a phone....for Facebook diehards. That's the idea, pretty simple IMO. Or did you mean you don't get the "appeal" of it??? Bc the answer to that is also (to quote my brilliant self) "it's a phone....for Facebook diehards".

Reply iSRS says: Apr 7, 2013 at 7:08 am - 14 hours ago

"In the demo, as in the ad, we see people swiping between between beautiful photographs of gorgeous moments. A quick look at my, admittedly neglected timeline shows a bunch of meme pics and drunken mobile shots I'd sooner never see again."
Bingo. No one has feeds that look this good. Then everyone at work gets to see your immature friends dumb pictures.

Reply PassOutPete says: Apr 7, 2013 at 10:35 am - 10 hours ago

As much stuff as Facebook already has I would really like to see this attempt at a cell phone fail miserably. Stick to the software and leave the hardware out of it Facebook. iOS4Life!

Reply CurtHarpold says: Apr 7, 2013 at 11:54 am - 9 hours ago

If you ask me, this just totally Zucks.

Reply YorkieRay says: Apr 7, 2013 at 12:20 pm - 8 hours ago

I use Facebook, though not as much as I used to. Even if I owned an Android phone, I would be thoroughly avoiding Facebook Home.

Reply Dionte says: Apr 7, 2013 at 12:25 pm - 8 hours ago

Looks like fun.

Reply impaler says: Apr 7, 2013 at 2:24 pm - 6 hours ago

Ugh. Are people's own lives that boring that they have to live through others? This is beyond creepy. I use Facebook from time to time, so I'm not saying it's not interesting catching up to what others have been doing, but this is insane. It seems invasive.

Reply HarrellMD says: Apr 7, 2013 at 3:57 pm - 5 hours ago

C'mon guys... for the poepl who think this wont sway people into changing their phones for an android... you guys should realize that people post every thing they do every minute on facebook ie just went to the bathroom, and people click like like no one's buisness. Ya know, I'm actually wonderig if all these negative comments are because Facebook has no plans to release this for iOS.... Oh and just so people like PassOutPete know... Facebook Home IS software... not hardware. They are sticking to it.

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