Apple deeply integrates Facebook into iOS 6.0 - The Penguins of Madagascar Microsoft and Apple save the Devil in the Blue Dress

The Year 2012AD, the Year of the Dragon, is definitely not going in FaceBook’s Favour. Not with Search Engine Giant Google holding the handle of the sword in the form of its control over Google Search results and its soon-to-be-dominant Google Chrome Browser that it can bias in favour of its nascent Social Network Google+ as pointed out in my blog article entitled“FaceBook extinct as Chrome to be No. 1 Browser in 2012AD – FB rides Bed Knobs and Broomsticks Mobile Revolution against Google+”.

My article at the time presented an elegant solution:

1.      Coax Microsoft to improve IE (Internet Explorer) to make it more easily updatable and Open Source, thus easily fixable and free and deeply integrate it into the browser, much as Microsoft has deeply integrated Skype into FaceBook as stated in my blog article entitled “Microsoft aquires Skype for US$8.5 billion - Miley Cyrus's Fly on the Wall Drops it Like it’s Hot” and “FaceBook deeply integrates Skype - Microsoft, the Ladykiller of Landline”

2.      Develop a Mobile phone Strategy for FaceBook, as like Mozilla Firefox, FaceBook lacks any presence on Mobile phones as note in as stated in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Chrome 16 beats Firefox and IE8 –Mozilla going Mobile and Cloud OS on Smartphones, Tablets and UltraBoooks”

Since that last article, FaceBook has indeed begun to make strides towards doing both, despite negative press about their FaceBook stock taking a nosedive on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) in May 2012AD as stated in the article “Where are FaceBook's friends? Stock slide deepens”, published Wednesday, May 23, 2012, The Jamaica Observer and “FaceBook falls below US$30”, published Wednesday, May 30, 2012, The Jamaica Observer.

Interestingly, an unrelatedly, they also had a Server outages one of FaceBook’s Server’s crashed, taking down most of FaceBook, adding more fuel to the fire that FaceBook was never ready for primetime as stated in the article “More Bad news for FaceBook as site Crashes”, published May 31 2012 by Stacy HigginBotham, Gigaom.

After all, FaceBook like Google, was merely making money from advertising and charging people to play Social Games via its FaceBook Credit System, which was a business model that was not sustainable for the long term as like adverting, it’s based heavily on the popularity of the FaceBook website as stated in my blog article entitled “FaceBook Credits and Online Gaming - The Pied Pipe's Revenge in the Age of Empire”.

Combines with the fact that FaceBookEmpire was yet to spread to certain parts of the World such as Russia, China and Africa, which is not yet a part of the Internet based on Data provided by Data from Google Trends and Alexa as noted in the article “FaceBook colonization of the world progress report”, published June 10, 2012 11:23 AM PDT by Dan Farber, CNET News.

Both FaceBook and Google need to expand their empires into these areas if Social Networking is to remain a force to be reckoned with, with access to user’s personal information the ultimate prize as surmised in my blog article entitled“Google vs FaceBook - Age of Empire and TRON Legacy”.

The statistics below gleaned from Vincenzo Cosenza's World Map of Social Networks based on Google Trends and Alexa Data herald’s FaceBook’s expanding Empire:

1.      There are 2 billion Internet users worldwide

2.      FaceBook controls North America, EU and most of Japan

3.      FaceBook has made Google's Orkut, Hi5 and Friendster extinct since 2011AD

4.      V Kontakte and Odnoklassniki control the former Soviet Union

5.      QZone, Tencent Weibo and e Sina Weibo control China's social networkers.

6.      Cloob, the Persian-language Social Networking site controls Iran.

7.      FaceBook has a 20% - 30% penetration in Brazil

8.      Africa remains unconquered largely due to a lack of Wired and Wireless Broadband infrastructure to access the Internet

FaceBook, despite being Top Dog in Social Network Websites, did not have a clear business Plan that included a guarantee of increased profitability in terms of future expansion as well as sustaining revenues long term with dedicated subscribers to its FaceBook Credit system.

The Data above was a big enough a red flag for investors to turn their nose up at the FaceBook stockand hence it’s plummet on its debut. The NYSE has had enough of Dot Com Bubbles, choosing not to inflate this one and bursting it before it got any bigger.

The lack of a clear MobileStrategy even prompted CNET Editor Molly Wood to come out of her corner predicting doom and Gloom for FaceBook if they did not clearly enunciate a Strategy for Mobile as stated in the article “If FaceBook dies (and it might), its killer will be born Mobile”, published May 30, 2012 12:00 AM PDT by Molly Wood, CNET News.

Which they apparently did not see as important, despite Mobile Computing increasing importance as stated in the article “Uh-oh, PC: Half of computing device sales are Mobile”, published January 16, 2012, 8:54am PT By Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM and the trend towards smartphone and Tablet ownership as summed up in the most recent stats in the following articles:

1.      Nielsen Stats from February in the First Quarter of 2012 indicating 50% of Mobile-savvy Americans own smartphones as stated in the article “Smartphones now account for half of all Mobile phones”, published March 29, 2012 2:23 PM PDT by Scott Webster, CNET News.

2.      ComScore Stats indicate that Android phones are now 50% of the market as stated in the articles “Android now represents half of U.S. smartphone market”, published April 3, 2012 11:19 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET News and “Android still dominates U.S. smartphone market”, published by June 1, 2012 2:06 PM PDT by Steven Musil, CNET News.

3.      ComScore Statistics report that 25% of smartphone users also have a Tablet, most likely the Apple iPad as stated in the article “U.S. tablet usage hits 'critical mass,' ComScore reports” published June 10, 2012 11:37 AM PDT by Steven Musil, CNET News.

Interestingly enough, FaceBook has not been resting on its laurels all this time. Earlier in May 2012AD, FaceBook announced that it was launching an App Store for Apps that use FaceBook on Wednesday May 9^th 2012AD, hinting strongly at the possibility that FB was planning to make a smartphone of its own as stated in the article “FaceBook launches app store, seeks iPhone magic”, May 9 2012 by Om Malik, GigaOM.

The FaceBook smartphone idea soon gained credence when it recruiters confirmed that FaceBook was looking for a Dirty Dozen (1967) Engineers, preferably with Apple iPhone and Apple iPad experience to work on their smartphone project as stated in the article “FaceBook phone possible as Zuckerberg hires iPhone engineers”, published 28 May 2012, 2:58pm By Rich Trenholm, CNET News.

Hopefully, it would be an improvement on the Android-powered HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha, which were not as spicy and popular as they sounded, despite the convenient “FB” button to post happily snapped pictures.

And as an indication that FaceBook is serious about making their own Mobile smartphone, they launched their Mobile App Centeron Thursday June 7^th 2012AD as stated in the article “FaceBook makes another Mobile push, launches App Center”, published June 7, 2012, 5:33pm PT By Eliza Kern, GigaOM, keeping good on its promise made earlier on Wednesday May 9^th 2012AD.

One would have thought that FaceBook would have learned from the experience of Microsoft and its attempts back in April of 2010 to make a pair of Social Networking smartphone name Kin 1 and Kin 2 as chronicled in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Comeback Kids: Microsoft Kin – Design is Everything”.

Interestingly, Danger, the company that Microsoft bought and its phone whose hardware was the inspiration for the Kin 1 and Kin 2, saw it fortunes return via a revival in December 2010AD courtesy of FaceBook’s enemy, Google Android as stated in my blog article entitled “T-Mobile SideKick’s rides the Bobsled Lazarus Effect - Logan's Run”.

So a FaceBook phone is inevitable.

The questions that remain mainly are:

1.      Design and Features

2.      Mobile Phone OS

3.      Network Support

Well it would seem some of FaceBook’s worries are partially over.

This as Apple has now deeply integrated FaceBook into their latest MobileiOS 6.0, which made its debut on Monday June 11^th 2012AD as stated in the article “Apple’s iOS 6 Includes Deep FaceBook Integration”, published June 11, 2012 by Sarah Kessler, Mashable and“Apple kicks Google Maps off iPhone,adds FaceBook”, published Wednesday, June 13, 2012, The Jamaica Observer.

This all predicted, with some stuff not quite spot on in my blog article entitled “Apple's WWDC heralds the Return of the Mac and iOS 6.0 - Future Hunt for Red October Amazon and Samsung in Mini-Tablets and IPTV”. More in another article later!!!

Right now, it would seem despite the better judgment of CNET Editor Molly Wood, FaceBook has gotten what is effectively a stay of execution. Apple, albeit a “frenemy” of Microsoft, FaceBook’s partner in crime, seems to like Social Networks, having deeply integrated Twitter back in 2011AD when they had released iOS 5.0.

The result?

Twitter flourished, with the added benefit of an increase in tweets by about 10 million and 47%of photo-swapping traffic originating from iOS powered devices. FaceBook can therefore look forward to a similar benefit from this deep integration as they are now firmly in the Driver’s seat for what is now clearly a Mobile Strategy driven by Apple’s spanking new iOS 6.0.

This is basically Microsoft and Apple, The Penguins of Madagascar (2008) teaming up against Google Android by helping the Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) as neither company likes Google and its Machiavellian ambitions very well. Apparently that was what all that activity surrounding the App Store launch was all about. Apple has now drawn the line in the sand

But something is amiss. Why seeking to hire Apple Engineers with Apple iPhone and iPad Experience? Is FaceBook STILL looking to have its OWN Mobile phone, after the HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha failed romance?

Stay tuned to this blog for more as details become available…..