∞ Facebook's Zuckerberg says the iPad is not mobile

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the rest of Apple’s executive team learned something new today — the iPad is not mobile.

[ad#Google Adsense 300x250 in story]The comments came from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg responding to a question about why his company doesn’t have an app for Apple’s iPad. “iPad’s not mobile, next question. It’s a computer, that’s a different thing.

While his answer certainly seems short and a bit rude, Zuckerberg later added, “I didn’t mean to be rude to Apple.”

He explained that, like most companies, Facebook’s engineers have to choose which mobile platforms to tackle. Makes sense to me, although not having an iPad app seems like a big miss for Facebook.


  • http://crankygeek.com Jack Brewster

    That sounds like one of those off-the-cuff not well thought out responses that someone ends up regretting later.

    I loathe using the FB site, either on my desktop or iPad. I run the iPhone FB app in 2x because it’s still a cleaner experience. Kind of crazy that Zuck doesn’t get that.

    • http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com/ Shawn King

      “That sounds like one of those off-the-cuff not well thought out responses…” Exactly. This is and will continue to get blown out of proportion.

      You know he meant “mobile” as in cell phones not in “portable” like the iPad.

      But that won’t stop the media from jumping down his throat and calling him out of touch.

  • http://tewha.net Steven Fisher

    My iPad, meanwhile, says Zuckerberg is not a word.

    • Carlos Lopez

      This made me laugh out loud.

      Thanks. I needed that this morning.

  • maineguy

    hmmm… of course this is from someone who uses the terms “privacy settings” and “Facebook security” as if they mean something.

  • PJS_Boston

    There is no need for a dedicated Facebook app on the iPad. Due to the large screen size of the iPad, the Facebook website works just fine.

    Much ado about nothing…

    • http://tewha.net Steven Fisher

      “Just fine” and “well” are not interchangeable. The Facebook app on the iPhone, crashy as it can be sometimes, is better than the Facebook website on a desktop. Why wouldn’t I expect a still better experience on my iPad?

  • Bretnerwood

    Zuckerberg Declares Minneapolis is the Capital of France

  • EB

    I agree with him. Facebook IS a web/HTML5 based app. There is no reason to create a dedicated version.
    Facebook was designed to work on the web. The iPad is designed to present standard web pages, unlike the limited in size iPhone. I would much rather use the standard facebook app then any proprietary one with the iPad.
    Is there a facebook app for the PC? For the Mac?
    NO. It is a web application. It can be enhanced repeatedly. It works well with touch gestures. It is, and should be, a web app. This is not the 1st time I have seen this complaint, and I am sure it will come up again and again, but I agree with Zuck.. For the sake of the iPad, it does not need changing.
    IF the iPad had a camera, then they would need to ensure that when you clck “Photos” it can take you to the image browsercamera, but I think Apple already exposes that service in HTML 5.
    We should APPLAUD this response, not ask for a half assed version that for the most part will be a WebKit WebView anyway…

  • Gerald Shield

    Bwahahaha. Somebody forgot to tell Mr. “Social Networking” about these “newfangled” 3G/Wi-Fi iPads! Or the folks who get those 3G/4G mobile hotspots from Sprint, Verizon and Clear.

  • Gerald Shields

    Alas, the iPad doesn’t need a dedicated Facebook app.

  • Eric

    As I said on twitter, he has a problem with some words, like Mobile, logic, privacy…

  • James

    What a retard.

  • Marco White

    I agree….FB on Safari on the iPad works just fine. Why would we need an app?

    • Carlos Lopez

      The problem is that many people feel the FB site sucks compared to the iPhone App. The App presents a much cleaner, robust and integrated experience. But because the FB website seems to suck so much, some people would prefer a dedicated FB App for iPad.

  • Paolo

    IMHO

    short:

    MacBook = portable computer

    iPad = tablet computer

    iPhone = mobile computer

    Zuckerberg = jackass

  • doktorwise

    Honestly, if the FB app for the iPad was going to be as lame as the one on the iPhone, I agree they might as well not bother. (I can also see why he might not want to come right out and say it that way.)

  • http://www.royalthoughts.com Ryan Cash

    They’re obviously working on an iPad app (or are planning to), they just haven’t tackled it yet.

    Many people are often under the impression that it takes a few weeks to whip an iOS app together. Let me tell you, it doesn’t. It can take over a year, even with 10 or more people working on it.

    You’d have to be crazy to think there’s no need for one – just because the website “works”, doesn’t mean it’s the best experience.