It's official. Given what TC is saying and what Tim Cook said earlier this week at the D10 about Facebook. Essentially, Tim had some kind words for Facebook and asked the audience, those present during his live interview and those of us watching from the Web, to "stay tuned" about collaboration between Apple and Facebook.
When Apple graced us with Twitter integration in iOS 5, it was not surprising that Facebook or Google+ were part of it. After all, there was some falling out between Apple and Facebook, mostly between Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckie (boy billionaire who lost 40% or so if his net worth since Facebook's IPO), over Ping that left Ping pretty much dead from day one and Facebook looking very much weakened without any mobile strategy to speak of.
As for Google+, well, just one word: Android. No way Google+ will find its way into iOS outside of official apps. No way Google+ will be integrated into iOS or OS X the way Twitter, Facebook, RenRen, Weibo, and an assortment of other foreign social networks have been.
As a mobile fan, I think Apple should integrate Google+ just like it has with Twitter. Apple should want to level the playing field and perhaps even play one social network or microblogging apparatus against one another.
Personally, I'm not thrilled about Facebook's integration. I'm just not nuts about giving Zucker, has zucked over users on so many over privacy and his partners over financial dealings, stuff that I don't mind sharing with Twitter or on Path. Needless to say, there could be a couple of hundred million iOS users from iPhones to iPads to iPod touches that don't mind having the walls of privacy tear down around them. If so, good for them.
The question I have now is just how Apple intents to protect information shared by users with Facebook. Apple has an unique opportunity here to provide iOS and OS X users a social platform that has much more privacy protections than the non-existent ones that Facebook gives its users. In fact, your run of the mill Facebook users are pretty much naked as far as others being able to see their profile and personal information.
Perhaps, the best way is for Apple to create a new social app that integrates Ping, Twitter, Facebook, Game Center, Messages and allow the users to choose how they can share and who they want to share with on a case-by-case basis.
For instance, I don't mind letting Facebook, Twitter, and other iOS users know that Facebook is overvalued by $30 billion but I don't want anyone but trusted contacts know that I'll be celebrating with other LA Kings fans, hopefully next week, when the Kings win the Stanley Cup.
Apple will hold its keynote at the Worldwide Developer Conference on June 11th, Monday, that should shed some light over just how Facebook will be integrated and what social push Apple has planned, if anyone.
Note: Regardless if whether Apple and Google are fight over Android and patents, Google+ is an entirely different deal that I hope Apple will seriously consider integration into iOS and OS X in the future. Plenty of iPhone users embrace Google+ over Facebook, like myself.
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