Super update of Facebook for iPhone

[Daniel]

A major update to the official Facebook app for iPhone was released earlier today, adding new sharing options from the compose screen and privacy controls that match the options set on Facebook?s website. First off, Facebook 3.5 brings a new design for Profile and Group walls; the app appears to be more streamlined and in line with Facebook?s recent changes to its web UI.

Source

Daniel Reviewed by Daniel on 7th Sep 2011. Super update of Facebook for iPhone A major update to the official Facebook app for iPhone was released earlier today, adding new sharing options from the compose screen and privacy controls that match the options set on Facebook?s website. First off, Facebook 3.5 brings a new design for Profile and Group walls; the app appears to be more streamlined and in line with Facebook?s recent changes to its web UI. Source Rating: 5

[Mr Happy]

Facebook doesn't seam to care about it's iPhone or Android apps and is incredibly slow to roll out updates or fix bugs. For such a huge company it's mobile apps are crap but their is a reason.

Facebook is working on a top secret project called Spartan out of it's New York Offices. It's a HTML5 mobile web version of Facebook.

What's the big deal?
Well currently Google and Apple have strict control over Facebook with regard to it's apps. If Facebook try and introduce games and revenue through it's iPhone app then Apple get 30% of all income as it does for all revenue through it's apps. Facebook have similar problems when it comes to advertising through apps. This is the problem Amazon are having with books sold through it's iPhone app which is why Amazon released one of the most amazing offline HTML5 mobile websites ever designed about a three weeks ago. Now Amazon can keep 100% of the cost rather than 70%.

Once Facebook launch Project Spartan it will allow game developers to launch mobile games through it's mobile site. Think about that. You'll never have to download and install a game again. You just launch it thorugh facebook and as your already logged in and connected to Facebook you can play against your friends for any game even if they don't have it installed etc. All revenue generated goes to the game developers and a cut to Facebook. Not Apple or Google.

The Facebook New York team have being working on this for months and I've being following it closely. Think about it. No downloading or installing games and over 750 million members. It's going to be huge and could be the first major challenge to app stores as we know them.

Who gives a shit about an iPhone app update when this is on the horizon?