Facebook Paper Coming Soon To Rival Flipboard
After the entire 2013 passed with rumours about Facebook’s news reader being launched, the time may finally be upon us. Facebook could launch a brand new app called Facebook Paper next week according to Re/code’s Mike Isaac.
Facebook Paper will act like Flipboard, aggregating media content from mainstream publications like CNN and the New York Times, while also adding status updates from Facebook into the mix.
Facebook’s developers are believed to be taking Paper back to “a time before digital devices” in its aesthetic, with ReCode reporting that the name refers to a new “paper-like” format.
Re/code explains that the project spun off from an attempt to redefine the news feed :
Like many Facebook initiatives, the Reader project originally began years ago as an idea to completely overhaul the News Feed itself, but after numerous delays and design refreshes, the project was split into pieces. Parts of the redesign made it into Facebook’s March refresh of the News Feed, according to three sources, when the team had not finished what would eventually turn into “Paper.” While this initiative has been Cox’s pet project, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also been directly involved (as he has final oversight over Facebook products), according to sources.
Facebook Paper would fit in with the company’s strategy of trying to become the go-to place for internet users looking to know what is going on in the world, a strategy Mark Zuckerberg pointed to at the launch of Facebook’s revamped news feed.