Facebook is shopping again but this time it isn’t for another social network. Hit the jump to see who Facebook have their eyes on now.
Facebook could be set to pursue a deal for web browser company Opera, as the social network seeks to unlock new business opportunities.
Flush with a $16bn (£10bn) war chest after a troubled initial public offering this month, Mark Zuckerberg’s company is understood to be readying its next major acquisition after the $1.17bn purchase of photo-sharing app Instagram.
Pocket-lint has cited “one of its trusted sources” as saying that Facebook may be looking to purchase Norwegian web browser firm Opera Software.
The Opera browser is available on desktop computers, certain phones and tablets, along with the Nintendo Wii console. The company claims to have 200 million users worldwide.
As Facebook comes under scrutiny from Wall Street over its future revenue potential, the social network is working to unlock the potential of its 900m global user base, particularly over mobile devices.
The company is widely rumored to be working on its own smartphone, but now it appears that the browser market could also be a key area of focus.
Google’s Chrome browser is currently the top browser worldwide, marginally ahead of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox. Yahoo last week put its hat in the ring with a new visually-rich product called Axis.
Pocket-lint said that if Facebook acquires Opera, it could result in Google and Facebook “battling it out for control of desktop and mobile for web surfing, as well as social networking”.
The Next Web has since reported a source close to Opera as saying that the company has been in talks with potential buyers.
As Opera has implemented a hiring freeze, the website said that this is “a surefire sign that something big is about to happen – or at least that Opera wants something big to happen”.
The Next Web’s source did not confirm whether Facebook was among the potential buyers, but did say a deal would make sense for both parties.
Facebook and Opera declined to comment on the speculation.
