Apple announced Monday that it would offer far deeper integration of Facebook in iOS6. The partnership is bound to benefit both companies, as well as app developers. But the new arrangement may require greater vigilence on the part of Apple customers and Facebook users.
Among the key points in Apple’s Facebook announcement:
- Facebook events are integrated into calendars, and your contacts get Facebook connection as well.
- In addition to more integration in iOS6 and OS X, Facebook integration will also feature prominently in Apple’s App Store and iTunes Store.
- Users will be able to share products, including apps, movies, songs and television shows from the stores.
- Apple will offer a public Facebook integration API.
- Users will get a single sign-in for both Facebook and Apple.
- As it previously did with Twitter, Apple will make it possible for users to post directly to Facebook from the Notification Center.
- Easier sharing of photos to and from Facebook through Apple operating systems.
“Today’s announcement from Apple is great news for Facebook users and iOS and Mac OS X developers,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Next Web. “With deep integration throughout iOS and OS X, people will have new ways to share and connect, and it becomes easier for developers to integrate Facebook into apps and games.”
Battery Life, Friends’ Patience Could be Drained
But there is already some criticism of the new integration. The integration will drain batteries more quickly. But more importantly, the integration seems to make public sharing the default setting. This would align Apple more closely with Facebook’s widely criticized privacy policies. CNET’s Larry Dignan warned that people are likely to forget they’re signed in and automatically share to Facebook, creating an oversharing nightmare.
“Add it up, and iOS and Facebook will be an integration that’s going to be a bit too frictionless for a lot of us,” Dignan wrote. “Here’s the new world order: Unless you manage Facebook closely, you’ll wind up sharing more than you want. The reality is that most of us will forget we’re logged into Facebook and burden ourselves and our friends with oversharing.”
In Apple We Trust
Schwartz noted that users are more likely to give a trusted name like Apple access to their Facebook timeline, which will make it much easier for developers to seamlessly integrate (and sell) apps in Facebook.
“A large amount of users won’t allow [third-party] applications to have access to the same details, even if it’s only the fake email address they gave Facebook five years ago,” he said. “This will shorten the funnel, increase the user base and revenue for everyone. If your users don’t need to click ‘Connect with Facebook’ every time they go into the app, that means that app developers can create almost a magical user experience on the first use with the app.”
Patrick Chukwura, the co-founder of the app developer SimpleLeap Software and the mobile game company Fine & Dandy, said Apple immediately gives Facebook and its developers credibility.
The messages is, “If Apple trusts them, so should we,” Chukwura said.
Photo courtesy of Gdgt.
