Is Facebook about to make yet another major acquisition? That"s the report from Pocket-Lint.com, who claims via unnamed sources that Facebook is looking to purchase Opera Software, the makers of the long running Opera web browser. Details are few, but the story claims that Facebook wants to compete in the web browser space that already has Microsoft, Google, Apple and Mozilla among its participants.
The Opera web browser has always been well behind, at least in terms of market share, in the PC web browser market. Both Net Applications and StatsCounter show that Opera is fifth in use on the PC behind Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and Safari. However, Opera has found some traction in the mobile web browser space. Facebook is all about mobility now, and it could see buying Opera Software as a short cut towards making a browser that could compete in the smartphone and tablet space.
Facebook has also been on a buying spree in the past few weeks, either acquiring the teams behind app companies or, in the case of Instagram, offering to buy the entire company for $1 billion. It"s unknown how much Facebook would be willing to pay for Opera Software, but it certainly has a bigger history than a lot of other software companies
Source: Pocket-lint.com