Facebook looks like it has finally realised that if it wants to give iPad users the full Facebook experience they need to make a bespoke app.
Coming more than a year after the release of the tablet the social networking giant plans to introduce a free in the coming weeks that is designing and tailored specifically for the iPad's touch interface.
Apparently the app has been in development for over a year and is in final stages of testing. An obvious overhaul has been made to the chat feature as it does not work on the native internet version on iPads .
With Mark Zuckerberg reportedly taking the helm in helping to develop his company's Facebook for iPad application, the social networking powerhouse has apparently trialled a number of design iterations before deciding on the final layout which it is claimed will hit the App Store within weeks.
The app will also allow you to upload photos and videos show from the iPad 2 too. A bespoke iPad facebook app has been something users have been crying out for since the original iPad went on the April 2010.
The company's communications manager Jamie Schopflin announced: “We have a great relationship with Apple that is exemplified by our iPhone application, but with regards to an iPad application we have nothing to announce now, and cannot comment on future Facebook products."
For Facebook, about half of its 500 million active users access the social network through a mobile device, and those users are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users so it would be a smart move for Zuckerberg and Co and Apple too – as it would probably be a major unique selling point for users choosing between Android or iPad.
Facebook is reportedly developing an app store to work only on mobile Safari. Dubbed Project Spartan, the new platform will be HTML5-based and aimed at iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone, and we see Facebook hosting it’s own HTML 5 third party apps.
Facebook is also reportedly working on a photo-sharing app for the iPhone that won’t be integrated into Facebook’s existing iPhone program. Instead, the service will be a standalone option that leverages Facebook’s social graph, according to another TechCrunch report.