We’ve been awaiting Facebook’s iPad app since Zuckerberg finally changed his mind on the whole thing, and we know it’s ready because we’ve already used it, so why don’t we have it yet? Well, apparently it’s been held up because of some “internal back-and-forth between Apple and Facebook”, but it’s now ready to launch, and will do so imminently — along with Project Spartan.
TechCrunch’s MG Seigler, who was the first to go hands-on with Facebook’s official iPad app and release pictures of the service in action, reports that it has “been ready to go for a while now,” but has been delayed with some issues were resolved between Apple and Facebook. (And probably the departure of its developer.) Now that those are sorted, however, the app could launch any day now.
It won’t be launching alone, however. Facebook’s new HTML5 project, dubbed Project Spartan, will launch alongside the iPad app, delivering a web-based alternative to the App Store for all of our iOS devices. Seigler says these two products are now “joined at the hip,” and that “one will not launch without the other.”
He continues:
Facebook’s iPad app is about to launch. That too has been ready to go for a while now, but it has been held up by some internal back-and-forth between Apple and Facebook. And Project Spartan has been waiting on that iPad app. […] Earlier this week, Mashable reported that Facebook’s iPad app would launch at Apple’s iPhone event this coming Tuesday.
For what it’s worth, we’ve heard Facebook is actually planning to launch the iPad app at their own iPad/Spartan event on Monday. But they’re still discussing all of this with Apple. And Apple has been well known to change things at the last second. It is possible that they want Facebook to launch this on stage at their event to showcase some of the new HTML5 capabilities of iOS 5 (which will also be formally unveiled at the event).
We first heard about Project Spartan back in June, and despite its mission to compete with the App Store, it now seems Apple may actually be working with Facebook to get it going. There have even been rumors that Facebook will be at Apple’s October 4 iPhone event to unveil the service, which will be used to show off the HTML5 capabilities of iOS 5.
Are you looking forward to Facebook’s upcoming iPad app and Project Spartan?
[via 9to5 Mac]
