So long as there ’s been an App Store , there ’s been an prescribed Facebook app for your iPhone . The iPad has been another story — Facebook has n’t farm a native app for Apple ’s tab , leave behind that need for third - party developer to fulfill .
That ’s about to change , though , if aNew York Timesreport proves correct . The newspaper says thatFacebook will shortly unveil its first prescribed iPad app .
If so , it will be quite a course correction for Facebook . As recently as November 2010 , CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared thatthe “ iPad is n’t mobile”to explicate his company ’s want of a dedicated app for the lozenge . Either the iPad ’s either become more mobile , or Zuckerberg ’s become less myopic - sighted . And it ’s about time .
If Facebook is producing its own iPad app , it would do well to bring its home screen - style approach to Apple ’s pill .
Despite some strengths , those third - party Facebook app clients are all lacking ; even the best 1 like Friended picket in comparability to Facebook ’s iPhone app ’s functionality . And many do trivial more than skin Facebook’stouch - optimise site — which , while admittedly in force , still is n’t a native app .
If Facebook is finally quick to release an iPad app , I have a clearer sense of what I want that app to do , after testing many of those third - company apps on my iPad . I ’d like Facebook to recreate its successful pseudo - home screenland navigation on the iPad , because I call back it works brilliantly on the iPhone . Those image on the iPhone make it easy to jump to specific sections — your News Feed , your visibility , Places , Chat — and to bookmark specific pages , too . Bringing that functionality to the iPad makes good common sense ; no third - party has yet emulate it well .
And , of course , the app should make scrolling through your News Feed painless : auto - updating as you scroll down , with well-heeled access to tap Like or sum a comment .
That said , Facebook ’s prescribed iPad app should n’t merely quicken its iPhone port . The iPad plainly offer a sight more screen existent landed estate , and Facebook should exploit it . Just like Twitter and Mail show sidebar on the iPad that do n’t appear on the iPhone , Facebook should see make core sailing elements lasting on the iPad . And if Facebook can estimate out a way to keep Facebook Chat omnipresent throughout the app — just as it does on the website today — that will be excellent . I could reckon a Words With Quaker - style popover chat window that ’s always in the app ’s top bar , incrementing your unread message count .
Facebook set the saloon high for itself by create ( and on a regular basis updating ) a in truth impressive iPhone app . Thus , I have high hopes for Facebook ’s iPad app . give just how long the party ’s taken to work on the app , I hope it ’s taken the prison term to perfect it . With any luck , we ’ll know shortly enough .
