If Only Facebook on the Web Was as User Friendly as Facebook on the iPad is
By: Hillel Fuld
As you have probably heard, the official Facebook iPad app was released earlier today. For starters, you have to wonder what took them this long. The iPad has been out for close to two years and its market share is well over 95%. Other unofficial Facebook apps have been downloaded millions of times, and Facebook on iPhone is the most downloaded iOS app ever. So I repeat, what exactly were they waiting for?
I mean, if there was some sort of big event in which Facebook wanted to make the announcement, I might be able to understand that. But they announced the app by press release on an ordinary day with no big event. Makes you wonder… Of course, TechCrunch has its theories but I guess we’ll never know.
But the app is live and that is what’s important. So how is it, you ask? In four words? Best of its class!
The first thing you will notice upon launching the app is the beauty of an iPad optimized Facebook app as opposed to the iPhone app scaled up to fit the iPad screen. Simply put, the iPad app looks just right on the 9.7′ display.
The important button to familiarize yourself with in the new app is the navigation button in the top left corner which toggles the sidebar with all your Facebook options. When the sidebar is closed the News Feed is the default view and once again, it is beautiful. In fact, as the title states, something about the UI of Facebook on the iPad makes the website seem super primitive and annoying.
On a side note, the popularity of the iOS Facebook app is clearly depicted in the number of user reviews that it has. 1.8 million!! Compare that to 20,000 reviews for Angry Birds and you have some perspective. Thanks Appsfire!
Back to the app. You can now view photos inline with pinch to zoom and full screen view. If there is any question about the superiority of the app over the Web UI, when it comes to photos, there is no question. Photos on the Facebook iPad app offer a significantly better experience than the website does, no question.
Videos are no different. The new app supports HD video playback as well as AirPlay technology to play your Facebook videos on the big screen.
Of course, there is a lot more to this new app than just the UI. Facebook is going all out on the mobile front and you can read more about that here if you are a developer.
The sidebar is where all the action is. You can obviously customize what shows up there, but it can be anything from apps, groups, pages, favorites, bookmarks and much more.
Facebook says the app is “A New Way to Experience Facebook”
- Enjoy bigger, better photos: Your photos take on new life on the iPad. They’re big, high-res and easy to flip through—like a real photo album.
- Focus on what matters: With less on the screen, it’s easier to zoom in on your friends’ photos, updates and stories.
- Navigate anywhere, fast: Just tap, slide or pinch to get from one screen to another and back again in no time.
- Never lose your place: Use simplified navigation to send a message, see your notifications or browse your bookmarks without switching screens.
- Play games on the go: Play your favorite Facebook games wherever you are, and on a bigger screen.
- Tap to send messages: A simple dropdown menu makes it easy to scan and send messages without visiting your inbox.”
All in all, the app provides the perfect balance between rich functionality and simplistic design. With all the enhancements that Facebook has made to its platform lately, the iPad app could have ended up a tremendous mess with an overwhelmingly confusing UI, much like the site, some might say.
Instead what we got is an app designed to near perfection with tens of impressive features and a super intuitive interface. Not much else to say, I am fairly convinced I would not change anything in the new Facebook for iPad.
I do have one question though. I am pretty sure I am missing something, but how do I view the Photos screen? There is a Photos option in the sidebar that brings me to my photos. Of course, photos do appear in the news feed but how do I see all my friends’ photos in one separate screen? Anyone?
