 "It's finally here! A Facebook app for the iPad...")
Facebook released its long-awaited iPad app on Monday and introduced support for social games on the mobile versions of its online service.
The release of the iPad application is part of a move by Facebook to stay in synch with modern lifestyles that revolve increasingly around Internet-linked wireless mobile gadgets.
“Many of you have been asking about Facebook for iPad,” Facebook mobile engineer Leon Dubinsky said in a blog post.“It’s finally here.”
[caption id=“attachment_104248” align=“alignright” width=“380” caption=“A hands-on Facebook for iPad users. Courtesy: Facebook”]  [/caption]
The Facebook iPad application has been rumored on industry blogs for months.Features added to the Facebook iPad software include being able to chat with friends or watch high-resolution streaming video, according to Dubinsky.
Facebook also upgraded its iPhone application to allow faster online searches, simpler navigation of pages, and access to more games and other socially-oriented mini-programs, Dubinsky said.
Approximately 800 million people belong to the Facebook social network.
Making money
The announcement of the iPad application and support for social games on the mobile versions of Facebook plug two key holes in Facebook’s product offerings and could provide a way for Facebook to generate revenue from the more than 350 million users who access its service on mobile devices every month.
Facebook said that the mobile versions of its website will now offer tighter integration with third-party social games and applications. Those games, such as Zynga’s Farmville, are extremely popular among Facebook users who access the service on their PCs.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSimilar to the experience on a PC, Facebook users on mobile devices such as Apple’s iPhone and Android smartphones will receive alerts in their newsfeed when their friends play certain games or invite them to play along with them.
Facebook’s mobile service will also offer bookmarks within the website of a user’s favorite games, for quick access.
Many of those games offer users the ability to purchase virtual goods – such as additional equipment or clothing to enhance the experience in a game – using Facebook’s special so-called Credits currency. Facebook takes a 30 percent cut of the revenue from those transactions.
The company said it would require third-party app developers to support Credits in the mobile versions of their games that interact with Facebook.
The rule only applies to games aimed at users of the Facebook website developed using HTML5 technology and accessed through a standard browser.
Facebook said the specialised iPhone app version of its service would not support its Credits currency, in accordance with Apple’s terms of service.
If you’re reading this on your iPad, you can access the Facebook app here.
With inputs from agencies
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