Facebook looking to circumvent Apple's App Store with HTML5 platform
A new report claims social network Facebook is partnering with roughly 80 developers on a secretive "Project Spartan" HTML5-based application platform that would circumvent Apple's App Store on iOS devices.
TechCrunch's MG Siegler reports Facebook is coordinating the effort in order to maintain control over web apps without having to submit to the App Store terms. According to people familiar with the project, Facebook hopes "to use Apple?s own devices against them to break the stranglehold they have on mobile app distribution."
Interestingly enough, Apple initially pushed the concept of web apps for mobile Safari on the iPhone, but eventually switched to the App Store model in 2008.
Siegler, who claims to have seen the project with his own eyes, describes "Project Spartan" as a mobile web version of Facebook with drop-down menus for new apps. Once loaded, those apps would be surrounded by a "Facebook wrapper" that would integrate with the social network, adding features such as Credits, the company's micropayment system.
Credits play a vital role in the in-development platform, as they would provide an alternative method for monetization to the App Store. Facebook is reportedly wooing third-party developer Zynga to the platform in hopes of accelerating the transition away from Adobe Flash and toward HTML5.
Though the project will serve to reduce developer reliance on Adobe Flash for gaming, "the real goal is to get people using Facebook as the distribution model for games and other apps, not the App Store (or any other distribution hub)," Siegler wrote.
Facebook began offering an app for the iPhone and iPod touch when the App Store launched, but has yet to release a native iPad app.
Apple and Facebook have cooperated in the past, but last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed that he was unable to agree upon a deal to tie the company's Ping music-centered social network into Facebook because of "onerous terms." According to one person familiar with the matter, the two companies were in talks for 18 months before negotiations broke down.
Last October, reports emerged that Jobs had invited Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over for dinner to discuss the matter.
Some analysts view Apple's recent partnership with Twitter to provide system-wide integration in iOS 5 as a snub to Facebook. In April, a purported early "test version" of iOS 4 was spotted with system-level Facebook integration, fueling speculation that Facebook may have been Apple's "first choice" over Twitter.
TechCrunch's MG Siegler reports Facebook is coordinating the effort in order to maintain control over web apps without having to submit to the App Store terms. According to people familiar with the project, Facebook hopes "to use Apple?s own devices against them to break the stranglehold they have on mobile app distribution."
Interestingly enough, Apple initially pushed the concept of web apps for mobile Safari on the iPhone, but eventually switched to the App Store model in 2008.
Siegler, who claims to have seen the project with his own eyes, describes "Project Spartan" as a mobile web version of Facebook with drop-down menus for new apps. Once loaded, those apps would be surrounded by a "Facebook wrapper" that would integrate with the social network, adding features such as Credits, the company's micropayment system.
Credits play a vital role in the in-development platform, as they would provide an alternative method for monetization to the App Store. Facebook is reportedly wooing third-party developer Zynga to the platform in hopes of accelerating the transition away from Adobe Flash and toward HTML5.
Though the project will serve to reduce developer reliance on Adobe Flash for gaming, "the real goal is to get people using Facebook as the distribution model for games and other apps, not the App Store (or any other distribution hub)," Siegler wrote.
Facebook began offering an app for the iPhone and iPod touch when the App Store launched, but has yet to release a native iPad app.
Apple and Facebook have cooperated in the past, but last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed that he was unable to agree upon a deal to tie the company's Ping music-centered social network into Facebook because of "onerous terms." According to one person familiar with the matter, the two companies were in talks for 18 months before negotiations broke down.
Last October, reports emerged that Jobs had invited Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over for dinner to discuss the matter.
Some analysts view Apple's recent partnership with Twitter to provide system-wide integration in iOS 5 as a snub to Facebook. In April, a purported early "test version" of iOS 4 was spotted with system-level Facebook integration, fueling speculation that Facebook may have been Apple's "first choice" over Twitter.
Comments
Apple failed (relatively speaking, anyway) with Ping because they stepped well beyond their realm of expertise. Now Facebook's trying to play on Apple's turf. Here come da fail.
"Facebook hopes "to use Apple?s own devices against them to break the stranglehold they have on mobile app distribution."
Apple failed (relatively speaking, anyway) with Ping because they stepped well beyond their realm of expertise. Now Facebook's trying to play on Apple's turf. Here come da fail.
Ping also sounded like Bing. Not perhaps the happiest coincidence.
TechCrunch's MG Siegler reports Facebook is coordinating the effort in order to maintain control over web apps without having to submit to the App Store terms. According to people familiar with the project, Facebook hopes "to use Apple?s own devices against them to break the stranglehold they have on mobile app distribution."
And I'm pretty sure Apple is just fine with it. They've always said HTML5/Javascript/AJAX is perfectly legitimate way to develop iPhone apps. I don't see how anyone is using it "against" Apple.
Facebook is trying to improve its revenue stream by making FB apps available on mobile, so what Apple is 'losing' is a 30% cut on games and other FB gadgets that don't exist yet on mobile.
Experience shows that games in Web-App form are inferior to Native game Apps. Zynga who's the prominent game developer for FB already offers its products as native apps on Apple's AppStore.
If anyone gets hurt in this it's Adobe, as FB is pushing developers to abandon Flash.
When Facebook's own site looks better in Safari than it does on MyPad+ or other native apps I'll start to worry about it replacing native apps. Until then, Facebook is just going to help Apple sell more devices.
A new report claims social network Facebook is partnering with roughly 80 developers on a secretive "Project Spartan" HTML5-based application platform that would circumvent Apple's App Store on iOS devices.
"Circumvent?" Really? Apple has always encouraged this type of distribution and provides a stunning mobile browser to that end. Apple even has sessions at WWDC to accomplish just this type of thing.
Silly article premise.
BTW, There is a financial reason why Facebook is doing this. Facebook wants to get every penny from all the Ads the would like to sprinkle (if you notice there is no ads on Facebook App on iPhone and also a reason they haven't developed one for iPad yet) Facebook knows that folks are going to move over to iPads or other tablets for their Facebook interactions and if they can't display ADs without paying Apple a pie of that using their Apps. Going to HTML5 and web-based apps, they are free of pushing ads and don't worry about giving anything to Apple.
"Here we have the world?s most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations, their communications with each other, and their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to US Intelligence.?:
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2011/...been-invented/
For myself, I do use Twitter, so I was happy to hear that Apple was incorporating that more in iOS5. But certainly there room for everyone and people will use what works best for them.
This could hurt Apple if developers see it as a way to avoid giving Apple their 30% cut. They could either develop their own HTML5 webapps or they could join up with Facebook (a large and influential internet company). If enough developers do it, Apple could be hurting.
Agree.
And for those who are not paying attention, and I know all the fanboys will say "Microsoft who dat!?", but those guys in Redmond are investing a ton in pefecting HTML 5 rendering and HTML 5 authoring tools. That's good I think because we will soon be able to run any app, not just those Steve approves of, on our iDevices. Of course Steve may decide to not support HTML 5. Time will tell how this next battle plays out.
Who uses the FaceBook spy network anyhow?!
Pretty much everybody but you it seems.
BTW, Google is delivering WebApps based app for iPhone. The GUI is rich, but interaction and response is pretty sad. They just pop you into the browser - I rarely use it.
Bothers me not. Sick of all the juvenile dos within that FB ecosystem. Twitter works much better for moi.
It would be interesting to see how your statement would have turned out if Apple had embraced Facebook and not Twitter.