Who needs “sources familiar with the company’s plans” when you can leak your own story to the press?
Facebook’s F8 developer conference is the social networking company’s equivalent to Apple’s WWDC or Google’s IO. It’s a place where developers can attend various programmer-centric sessions and announcements of new Facebook features are often made, particularly those of interest to developers. Where there are announcements there are leaks — and this time Facebook’s own F8 app is to blame.
The conference hasn’t yet started, but it seems that the F8 app sent out a notification a little early. Numerous users of the app received alerts informing them of two new announcements: Messenger as a Platform, and Parse for IoT.
Facebook Messenger has seen many updates lately. It was widely reported last week that Messenger as a Platform would likely be announced at the F8 conference, and we reported that users will soon be able to exchange money using the app. This concept — turning Messenger into more than just a way to chat with your friends — is part of what Messenger as a Platform aims to accomplish.
Parse for IoT is a wholly different animal. Parse, purchased by Facebook in 2013, is a suite of tools for building apps. One area we haven’t yet seen Facebook expand into much is the Internet of Things (IoT), and it seems that with Parse for IoT, the company is set to change that. We aren’t sure what integrating Internet of Things devices could mean for Facebook, but heck, we’re excited to find out.
Facebook has mentioned that all of its major products including Instagram and WhatsApp will see announcements at the F8 conference, but TechCrunch’s sources say that Messenger as a Platform will be a major focus. The conference opens its doors tomorrow, so it won’t be long until we find out more.
