Facebook iPad App Developer Quits After Repeated Launch Delays

Business Insider noticed earlier today that Facebook engineer Jeff Verkoeyen, who has been responsible for development of the social networking company's iPad application since the beginning of this year, has left his position and taken a job at Google.

facebook ipad app
Facebook's iPad app (Source: TechCrunch)

In a blog post (apparently down for the moment due to high traffic), Verkeoyen laid out his personal complaints about Facebook and the status of the iPad application, noting that the application has been feature-complete since May but has yet to see a release and may never see the light of day. Verkoeyen has apparently since edited the post to remove his original thoughts on the iPad app.

Verkoeyen wrote on his blog today that he was the lead engineer on the Facebook iPad app back in January. He put a ton of time into the app.

It was feature-complete back in May, he writes, but Facebook kept pushing its release out another two weeks, then another. (Feature-complete doesn't necessarily mean "finished," but it's usually the last stage before a public beta test.)

Now, he thinks it "may never be released."

Verkoeyen did not offer any details on the reasons behind the repeated delays.

The New York Times reported back in June that a Facebook app for iPad would be released "in coming weeks". In late July, an iPad version of the existing app for iPhone was discovered inside the iPhone app, accessible through a tweak, but Facebook quickly disabled access to the iPad-specific interface through that mechanism. Some had hoped for a launch at the company's F8 conference last week, but an iPad app was not a part of Facebook's announcements at the event.

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Top Rated Comments

Illuminated Avatar
180 months ago
Facebook is turning into myspace.


I'm seriously considering switching to google plus.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menopause Avatar
180 months ago
Yawn. Must be a slow news day since this has absolutely zero to do with apple.

I may be wrong but I think the iPad was built by Apple.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Diode Avatar
180 months ago
Explain to me why you would need a Facebook app for the iPad when you can just go to the website? What functionality would an app offer that the website wouldn't at a 1074x768 resolution?

Ability to upload images for one.....
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
troop231 Avatar
180 months ago
I don't blame him, why would anyone want to work for Facebook?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
180 months ago
Reminds me of this which was recently published...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iDuel Avatar
180 months ago
Remember, Facebook never thought that the iPad even needed it's own app.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)