Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,291
30,376



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.

facebook_apple_hp_ipad.jpg



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.

Article Link: HP's TouchPad Behind Delays in Facebook iPad App Launch?
 

aeaglex07

macrumors 6502
Mar 18, 2007
399
1
United States
this actually crossed my mind the first time I saw the TouchPad commercial with Russel Brand "bragging" about their Facebook integration.
 

KnightWRX

macrumors Pentium
Jan 28, 2009
15,046
4
Quebec, Canada
HP wrote the Facebook app for TouchPad, not Facebook. If Jobs really blew up over that, well... guy needs a slap. Seriously, how is Facebook supposed to stop a 3rd party from writing apps for a public service ? :rolleyes:
 

KnightWRX

macrumors Pentium
Jan 28, 2009
15,046
4
Quebec, Canada
Zukerberg. What a bozo. Now that the touchpad has bit the dust he's friending Apple again.

This is a story right off the wall. :rolleyes:

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.
 

bobsentell

macrumors 6502a
Nov 14, 2008
836
0
Alabama
Seriously? Jobs was livid that a device that at it's best would only get 5% of the market would have a Facebook app before Apple? Seems a little petty to me.

Also, HP wrote the facebook app for webOS. Jobs, get your crack team of engineers to write one and then there is no issue.
 

Juan007

macrumors 6502a
Jun 14, 2010
778
936
The point is, integration with the Touchpad required in-depth support and collaboration from FB. That is the same support and collaboration that FB refused to provide Apple. That is why SJ was livid, FB was backstabbing Apple by giving HP special access.
 

AppleScruff1

macrumors G4
Feb 10, 2011
10,026
2,949
The point is, integration with the Touchpad required in-depth support and collaboration from FB. That is the same support and collaboration that FB refused to provide Apple. That is why SJ was livid, FB was backstabbing Apple by giving HP special access.

And Apple wanted the special access that no else had.
 

wordoflife

macrumors 604
Jul 6, 2009
7,564
37
iOS doesn't need Facebook for it to grow, but Facebook needs iOS.
What game are they trying to play? Apple will be fine whether or not Facebook can actually make an App. (which they apparently can't).

The third parties are doing a hell of a much better job creating apps to access Facebook at this point.
 

Peace

Cancelled
Apr 1, 2005
19,546
4,556
Space The Only Frontier
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.
 

vanzantapple

macrumors 6502
Aug 26, 2010
289
37
USA
1. Please don't integrate F***book with iOS.
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.
 

Peace

Cancelled
Apr 1, 2005
19,546
4,556
Space The Only Frontier
1. Please don't integrate F***book with iOS.
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.

Like twitter you will be able to enable or disable it in the preferences.
 

AppleScruff1

macrumors G4
Feb 10, 2011
10,026
2,949
iOS doesn't need Facebook for it to grow, but Facebook needs iOS.
What game are they trying to play? Apple will be fine whether or not Facebook can actually make an App. (which they apparently can't).

The third parties are doing a hell of a much better job creating apps to access Facebook at this point.

And Facebook will be fine without Apple. Look at the number of users without an Apple app.
 

galahan

macrumors member
Sep 15, 2008
69
7
Rest of the story aside, I don't buy that Jobs actually went to FB. The top dog doesn't leave his nest, you go to the top dog. Not only that, but I can't imagine Jobs even meeting with Zuck over something so stupid as an app. He has a lot of other folks in his org that can manage those conversations for Apple.
 

drumpat01

macrumors 6502
Jul 31, 2004
444
115
Denton, TX
Rest of the story aside, I don't buy that Jobs actually went to FB. The top dog doesn't leave his nest, you go to the top dog. Not only that, but I can't imagine Jobs even meeting with Zuck over something so stupid as an app. He has a lot of other folks in his org that can manage those conversations for Apple.

You don't think he would blow up over that?? Remember, Steve is the guy who made Google change the yellow in their iPhone app logo. He was all about little details. And there's one thing Steve wants more than control... loyalty.
 

ChrisTX

macrumors 68030
Dec 30, 2009
2,690
54
Texas
Do you guys seriously think Jobs should have been elated with Joy over the fact that HP would be getting a native FaceBook app first? I'd say Job's reaction was only fair given the circumstances.
 

Stridder44

macrumors 68040
Mar 24, 2003
3,973
198
California
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Zukerberg is such an idiot sometimes. Did he seriously think he could get away with that?
 

AppleScruff1

macrumors G4
Feb 10, 2011
10,026
2,949
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Zukerberg is such an idiot sometimes. Did he seriously think he could get away with that?

He's worth more $$ than Steve. He's such an idiot. :rolleyes:
 

marksman

macrumors 603
Jun 4, 2007
5,764
5
Facebook is dumb. When are people going to wake up and realize that Facebook has just reversed the internet back into AOL.
 

Lennholm

macrumors 65816
Sep 4, 2010
1,003
210
iOS doesn't need Facebook for it to grow, but Facebook needs iOS.
What game are they trying to play? Apple will be fine whether or not Facebook can actually make an App. (which they apparently can't).

The third parties are doing a hell of a much better job creating apps to access Facebook at this point.

Eh, that doesn't make much sense. Facebook is doing just fine, while the biggest appeal of iOS (as in, the number one tauted feature of iOS) is all the apps for it. Apple may not need Facebook individually that much, but Facebook is part of the app library that is so important to iOS.
Both companies would sure benefit from collaborating, but apparently FB thought they would benefit more from working with HP and so they prioritized that, isn't that standard business practice? "Standard business practice" is quite often used around here to excuse all the things questionable ethic that Apple do.
Seriously, stories like these make Jobs come of as the kindergarten bully that always want all the toys for himself and if someone else uses one he's going to scream his lungs out until he gets it.
Facebook be damned because they give their preferred business partners (in this case, HP apparently) special treatment but it's just fine when Apple gets specail treatment, right?

Do you guys seriously think Jobs should have been elated with Joy over the fact that HP would be getting a native FaceBook app first? I'd say Job's reaction was only fair given the circumstances.

If that's only fair I think both you and Jobs should grow up and realize that nothing automatically entitles you to use the kindergartens brand new model train set before anyone else.
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.