The release of the Facebook Phone, the HTC First, to the UK and other European markets has been put on hold, following lukewarm reception and low sales in the US.
On Friday, the BBC reported that UK carrier EE confirmed it had postponed its introduction of the HTC First to consumers indefinitely. In France, mobile operator Orange followed suit, with both carriers indicating consumer feedback on the device had influenced their decision to hold back on the release of the Facebook Phone.
Earlier this month, AT&T dropped the price of the HTC First on contract from $99 to $0.99. This should not come as a surprise if pundits' predictions are anything to go by. After the launch of Facebook Home, Benedict Evans, of Enders Analysis, said the Facebook Phone would not catch on. "Sadly, given HTC's current position, I don't expect this to change the trajectory of anything."
Facebook Home is also not available for the iPhone and, according to Evans, it will almost certainly never be, as Apple would not permit such a takeover of the interface.
Other than the HTC First, Facebook Home is supported by only four other devices: HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S3, and Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
From a local perspective, World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck said the HTC does not have a big presence in the South African market. "The phone is targeted at people who primarily use it for Facebook. It could become more popular as the entry-level Android market grows."
Goldstuck added that locally, Samsung holds the biggest market share when it comes to Android operating systems and puts a lot of effort into its smartphones. "They would not want to dilute their smartphone experience with something that overrides their Android system."
Not at home
Other than the Facebook Phone, the social networking giant's Android sleeve for the home screen has also not taken off. Earlier this month, it announced that downloads for Facebook Home was nearing the one million mark.
Three weeks after Home was made available, on 16 April, only 500 000 users downloaded it.
Putting the figure into further perspective, it has to be considered that Facebook has over a billion users. Angry Birds Space, for instance, was downloaded around 10 million times within the first three days it was released, and within the next week, 20 million players downloaded the game.
On Google Play, the app still only has a rating of 2.3 out of 5, with most people expressing their disappointment and leaving comments like: "It was fine for a Facebook addict. But it seems to run through a lot of data and battery. Uninstalled," and "Just takes a nice phone and ruins the interface. Waste of time."
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