Rumor: Apple 'afraid' of Facebook's power
updated 11:45 am EST, Fri March 4, 2011
Rumor has Apple avoiding Facebook integration
A rumor circulating Friday has suggested that Apple is afraid of and distrustful of Facebook. The tip, reportedly from a Facebook team that handles external deals, claimed that "they hate" Facebook at Apple because of its power. Facebook's iPhone app and services are important enough that they could up-end iOS itself if there was enough deep-level integration, SAI heard.
The lack of Facebook integration in contacts or the photo app were cited as examples.
Doubts have surfaced as to the accuracy. iMovie for iPad has shown Apple widening support for Facebook and adding direct video uploads to the social network that aren't present in the current iPhone or Mac versions. Sightings of a Jobs and Zuckerberg meeting last fall would imply that the two companies are getting closer and may have directly led to the iMovie feature.
Facebook may also be a convenient proxy in Apple's attempts to beat Android and could help it out by offering integration that Google wouldn't. The search engine's feud with Facebook over data exports has lately led to it pulling sync features and otherwise declining to give any special treatment.
The social site has been pushing for as deep a link as possible and has been forging ties both with OS developers and individual hardware makers. While it has said it won't make its own OS anytime in the near future, the HTC ChaCha and Salsa may give Apple reason for concern as they not only put Facebook at the top of the interface priority list but have dedicated Facebook buttons.
TAGS :
iPhone, industry, Google, Steve Jobs, htc, Android, Facebook, mobile phones, iMovie, Apple, iPad, Mark Zuckerberg
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2000
Actually,
Everyone should be afraid of Facebook's power.