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2011

Native Facebook app on iPad – To be a realty soon

June 22, 2011 0

Los Angeles — There is good news for more than 250 millions users accessing Facebook on a mobile device. The app store of iPad will soon feature a native Facebook app, reported the New York Times on 17th June.

People briefed on the largest social media network’s plans say that the app has been in production at Facebook for almost a year, going through several design iterations, and is now in the final stages of testing.

 

(Image credit: nextnobelprize.com)

NYT says Mark Zuckerberg has been heavily invested in the process, overseeing decisions related to design and feature set.”People who have seen the application said it has a slick design that has been tailored for the iPad and its touchscreen interface. Facebook developers and designers have also overhauled the Facebook Chat and Facebook Groups features for the application.”

Transcending the features available on the social media network Facebook Website, the app will allow iPad users to shoot and upload photos and videos directly from the iPad’s built-in cameras. “The photo and video experience is amazing, offering full resolution and full-screen images,” said a person who has seen the app. Facebook currently offers no iPad-optimized experience via an app or the web, instead directing users to the service’s standard desktop website.

The good news does not end here. Facebook, the social utility network, is also reportedly planning on optimizing its web interface.

Apple and Facebook have been at odds in the past. As recently as November 2010, CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that the “iPad isn’t mobile” to explain his company’s lack of a dedicated app for the tablet. (source: Macworld.com) After all, the iPad is a computer, not a smartphone that requires a specialized experience due to a smaller screen size. That Facebook would simply optimize its website for the Safari Web browser and leave it at that was certainly believable. In fact, that same sort of optimization is reportedly on its way too.

When Apple launched its iTunes social networking service Ping, it pulled the Facebook integration at the last minute, citing “onerous terms we could not agree to.”

And, more recently, Apple announced that Twitter, not Facebook, would be the social networking service deeply integrated into iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s mobile operating system. However, this partnership puts to rest the tug of war between the two.

(Image Credit macnn.com)

Inside Facebook.com, the blog reports, “ Apple and Facebook have complementary goals here. Apple wants to provide industry-defining devices with operating systems and software to match. In this context, iPad is specifically intended to be for consuming media and for lightweight sharing. Meanwhile, Facebook wants to provide social software as a layer on top of hardware and operating systems, that helps people connect with each other and share more information.”

Could this partnership between Apple and Facebook have any repercussions on the tablet wars? “Yes,” opines Nick Bilton of NYT.”This could tilt the scales of the tablet wars even more heavily in the iPad’s favor leaving Google’s Android platform lagging behind.” Apple reportedly plans to feature the Facebook app prominently in the App Store.

The Facebook app launch on ipad also spells the end of third-party domination. Today, apps like Friendly, iFace, MyPad, Friend Screen and others sit at the top of the charts in the iTunes App Store for iPad, indications of the demand for a native Facebook experience.

The Apple-Facebook alliance is a win-win situation as Inside Facebook.com says, “The Facebook iPhone app is one of the most popular on either Facebook or the Apple App Store app, with a whopping 30.4 million monthly active users and 15.6 million daily active users, according to our AppData service. So a Facebook iPad app would have some catching up to do. But if the iPad proves a winner, you can bet it will.”