Official Facebook App Finally Coming to the iPad?
Yes, you’re right, it has taken way too long, but after well over a year of waiting, it looks like there may finally be word of a native Facebook app for iPad coming our way designed by the actual Facebook team.
While Facebook has always had apps for the iPhone, Android, and even the lowly Blackberry, iPad users have been left out in the cold. Using either Facebook.com, which works but isn’t at all optimized for touch, or one of several third party apps available (like Friendly for Facebook,) iPad users haven’t had a perfect way to use the site. Thankfully though, the New York Times’ Nick Bolton seems to have picked up on some info that says that should all be changing soon.
Check the read link for the rest of the scoop!
According to Bolton, “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, according to these people, who declined to be named because they were discussing confidential product plans.”
This leads us to believe that not only is the app on its way, but also that it should be here pretty soon. With most products, but software in particular, once the final stages of testing have been started, you’re looking at months, or very often only weeks, until some sort of release is at hand. Additionally, Bolton writes that a source who works with Facebook said that Mark Zuckerberg himself has been “heavily invested in the process, overseeing design decisions and the app’s unique features.”
If that is the case, and Zuckerberg himself hands his hands in the app, this may be the best native Facebook app to date, for any platform. (And it should be, since we’ve been waiting all this time to have an app that really takes advantage of the tablet form factor.
One interesting question that we don’t seem to have an answer to is whether or not the app will be compatible with both iPad versions, or just the iPad 2. While it seems easy enough to develop it for both, there are some differences for an app like Facebook that could make the answer unclear, the biggest of which is the cameras. The iPad 2 has front and rear facing cameras, which we can assume the app will take full advantadge of, allowing you to post photos and videos to your Profile, as this is a core function of Facebook. However, on the original iPad, lacking both cameras, will the functionality just not exist? Will we only be able to upload media from the Photo gallery? Only time will tell!
Let us know what you think about those questions, and any others you might have, in the comments below!
Source: New York Times
Categories: Facebook, Internet, iOS, Mobile, Rumors, Software