Facebook acquired Parse yesterday, a mobile-backend-as-a-service (mBaaS) company. I guess this means Facebook has a new business category? This is largely seen as Facebook’s answer to iOS and Android. Parse was founded by former Googlers and Y Combinator alums to build a useful set of back-end tools for mobile developers. In this new business category, Facebook now has paid tools and services for developing mobile apps. The “why Parse” for Facebook is pretty clear: become more relevant than ever to mobile developers. If software is eating the world and mobile smart devices are where all markets are going…it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this move. Facebook doesn’t own its own mobile OS like Apple or Google and last time I checked it doesn’t make its own devices either.

On today’s Live NewsDesk Show with Kristin Feledy (see live stream below) we’ll be hearing from SiliconANGLE’s Contributing Editor John Casaretto. What specific areas of business does Facebook hope to make an entry into with the acquisition of Parse? How is Facebook currently at a disadvantage because they don’t own a mobile OS? Parse isn’t a mobile OS but some are calling it the next-best-thing for Facebook. Why has Facebook chosen Parse over creating their own mobile OS?

Image credit: cnet