Facebook Readies an iPad App, Finally

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/facebook-readies-an-ipad-app-finally/

by profitbaron • 15 years ago

26 18 15 years ago

bits.blogs.nytimes.com

vic_nyc• 15 years ago

I wonder why it took them so long to release this. Given how picky they are with who they hire, and the sheer number of engineers they got, why did it take them over a year to come up with such an essential product - a Facebook app for the most popular tablet device?

I'm also going to say that their iPhone app leaves a lot to be desired. Many features are missing, like inability to edit/delete posts, picture abilities and so on. On the non-mobile side, their API is infamously bad. Without wanting to sound negative about them, I do wonder why they hire so many "top software engineers" and what they have those guys working on.

teaspoon• 15 years ago

Why is a native Facebook application essential on a device that has a serviceable web browser and a netbook-sized screen?

rbritton• 15 years ago

Their existing web interface is touch-unfriendly in a few ways, most notably when it comes to modal popovers with scrollable lists such as a page's fan list.

m0nastic• 15 years ago

I don't know how common an example I am, but I absolutely hate interacting with Facebook on their website (even on my laptop).

I pretty much only use it via the iPhone application, so I welcome an iPad app (assuming it's laid out similarly).

jinushaun• 15 years ago

Because many people like myself think the iPhone app is a superior user experience to the desktop Facebook website and the mobile website.

fookyong• 15 years ago

safari does not allow file uploads. you can't share your photos if you're on an ipad using FB in the browser.

loumf• 15 years ago

To post pictures -- which is a major activity on FB. I couldn't figure out how to do it in Safari -- if there's a way, it's not obvious.

epoxyhockey• 15 years ago

FB's first iPhone app was even more horrible and it took them a really long time to release the current incarnation. It took so long that I remember pondering the opportunity to create my own version of a FB app. That was before we all wised up to the fact that no one should develop FB assets unless being paid large sums of money on a contract basis.

keeperofdakeys• 15 years ago

The facebook app for android is going through this kind of process. While it is quite decent, I prefer a third party one that exists. The only real disadvantage is that it requires a facebook application to get peoples data. So anybody who blocked friend's apps from viewing information won't show up. It also means I can't disable the social plugin, so I get those stupid "comment with facebook" popups on sites.

qq66• 15 years ago

Facebook planning to release an iPad app makes the New York Times. Times have changed...

magicofpi• 15 years ago

Although it is on a New York Times blog, not on the main site...

bkudria• 15 years ago

Friend, they have. We live in the future now.

stashdot• 15 years ago

It's on NYT's tech blog.

tobtoh• 15 years ago

I've been using Flipboard to get my Facebook fix on my ipad and I've now come to prefer the Flipboard view of FB more than the native view. Much better presentation of external content and I still get the status updates, but without all the other junk that often floods my newsfeed.

Facebook Readies an iPad App, Finally

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