Mashable offers an inside look at the relationship between Apple and Facebook, exploring how HP's effort to bring a dedicated Facebook application to the TouchPad resulted in a severe falling out of the already-strained relationship between Apple and Facebook.
While the relationship has apparently been mended and the two companies are planning a Tuesday launch of Facebook's iPad app, a revamped iPhone app, and new HTML5-based web services, Apple and Facebook have a long history of being at odds.
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The report notes that issues date back to the release of iOS 4 last year, when Apple was planning to integrate Facebook across the operating system. But negotiations between Apple and Facebook over the APIs to be used for the integration apparently broke down and Apple pulled the feature from iOS 4. That incident led to growing mistrust between the two companies that further manifested itself in issues over Facebook apps for iOS and Facebook integration being pulled from Apple's Ping social networking service for iTunes.
Nearly a year later, those hard feelings still framed discussions between the two companies, and a personal visit by Steve Jobs to Facebook's headquarters led to an additional blowup when Jobs learned that HP was planning a native webOS Facebook application for its TouchPad tablet.
Roughly three months ago, Steve Jobs — then the Apple CEO — paid a visit to Facebook to discuss a Facebook for iPad application with CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg promised Jobs that the social network would release its first ever tablet application for iPad. Jobs, however, learned during his visit that HP was about to release a native webOS Facebook application for the TouchPad.
[...]
When Jobs learned of the webOS Facebook app during his summer visit to Facebook, he was livid. Zuckerberg vowed to get the app pulled. But Jon Rubinstein, the former CEO of Palm and then the GM of HP’s webOS division, refused to halt the release of the app.
Sources indicate that Facebook was fully aware of the positions and plans of both Apple and HP, but was attempting to play both sides for maximum benefit and only turned its back on HP when it became clear that its relationship with Apple was in danger of disintegrating completely.
With HP and TouchPad now out of the picture, Apple and Facebook have reportedly patched up their differences in the face of a common threat from Google, and sources indicate that "this is the closest Apple and Facebook have been to creating something meaningful together". The two companies are said to be "scrambling" to pull together their announcement for Tuesday's iPhone media event.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)This is a story right off the wall. :rolleyes:
2. Surely, the iPad is fast enough to run facebook on it's browser by now. Is it the NO FLASH thing. GEEEEZEEE.
This won't be the straw that breaks the camels back but if it does happen it will be a mighty big straw, more like a tree. Just my opinion. I know most people like F***book, I don't. And I don't like little icons popping up everywhere asking me to go to facebook or favorite this or plus one that. Screw these sites, if I want to go there, I will. I know how to get to facebook.
Except Zuckerberg and his co. had nothing to do with the Facebook support on webOS. Way to instantly side with Apple without learning the facts.
HP may have been doing the app themselves but Zukerberg is the one that says yea or nay. He was playing both sides. He should have known better.
As for HP I have no sympathy for them.
That is why SJ was livid, FB was backstabbing Apple by giving HP special access.
Also read: "HP paid facebook more than Apple" or "HP gave facebook better terms than Apple."