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Is Facebook's Project Spartan going after Apple's app lock?

by Steven Sande Jun 16th 2011 at 2:30PM

Facebook was apparently spurned by Apple in favor of Twitter for close integration in iOS 5, but the social networking giant is now moving ahead with plans to bypass the App Store with an upcoming HTML5 web app aimed at Mobile Safari -- Project Spartan.

This not-so-secret project has been making the rounds on Twitter, and is apparently aimed at breaking Apple's lock on app distribution through the App Store. Apple can't control what sites are visited by iOS users, so Facebook is looking at Project Spartan as a way to grab a piece of the app pie from Cupertino. Facebook is reportedly working with 80 outside developers, including Zynga (Farmville, Hanging With Friends) and the Huffington Post (owned by our parent company, AOL), on a variety of apps.

TechCrunch (also an AOL property) blogger MG Siegler had a hands-on look at Project Spartan, and described how app purchasing would work: "Imagine loading up the mobile web version of Facebook and finding a drop-down for a new type of app. Clicking on one of the apps loads it (from whatever server it's on depending on the app-maker), and immediately a Facebook wrapper is brought in to surround the app. This wrapper will give the app some basic Facebook functionality, as well as the ability to use key Facebook elements - like Credits."

Credits is Facebook's in-house payment system, akin to the payment system Apple uses for app, music and e-book purchases. By making the purchase of HTML5 games, news readers and other apps available through a separate purchasing mechanism, Facebook hopes to profit from the almost 100 million mobile users who are part of the Facebook family.

Siegler notes that while Project Spartan is meant to attack Apple on one front, it also has the opportunity to help Apple in another way. By demonstrating the ability of developers to create compelling content in HTML5, Facebook hopes to pry those devs from Adobe's Flash technology, which is something that Apple would dearly love to see.

Project Spartan is expected to roll out for Mobile Safari users in the next few weeks, and it should be interesting to see how Apple responds to this infringement on its turf.



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14 Comments

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KenjiO

Wow. Interesting....

June 17 2011 at 4:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
sip

Mobile Safari (iOS) uses WebKit.

Google (Android & Chrome) uses WebKit.

Symbian S60 phones use WebKit.

Looks like Facebook isn't just after Apple, it wants to dominate the world. Where are Napolean Solo and Ilya Kuryakin when you need them? Oh, and don't forget 007....

June 16 2011 at 9:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Zach Thomas White

You have got to be kidding me... Maybe if Facebook put a little effort into the app they already have out they would be included in Apple's products. Personally I hate twitter, but I do think that between the two twitter seems to be working a bit harder on solidifying the their platform and so they deserve it. Facebook needs to take a lesson from Apple and make there product better. Instead they just change how everything works and looks... I feel like every year I have to relearn facebook. And come on a web based HTML5 app, no one wants that I might as well go to safari type facebook.com

I love you facebook but you're blowing it.

June 16 2011 at 7:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nick

So Facebook is going to be distributing web apps? Kinda like Apple tried back in 2007 when they tried to tell everyone that web apps were just as good as native apps? How did that work out again? Oh yeah, that's right... Apple realized they were wrong and allowed people to develop native apps for iOS. Now, how many people actually use web apps?

June 16 2011 at 3:05 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
Lawrence Gadette

Im not sure how this is going to play out but I will never download an app that didn't originate from the app store. Let the android uses have all that fun.

June 16 2011 at 3:04 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Lawrence Gadette's comment
Zach Thomas White

I agree with you completely.

June 16 2011 at 7:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Justin

Guess you're not a jailbreaker then....

I have downloaded plenty of great apps from Cydia and my iPhone is all the better for it. The App Store is great, but options can only be a good thing.

June 16 2011 at 8:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Scott

Why does everyone talk like this is some crazy backdoor or an attack on Apple (they did the same with the Playboy web app)? From the iPhone 1 web apps have been available. I think Apple will be happy to not have to host a bunch of free games on their servers. Remember, Apple doesn't make that much profit on the App store. This means people will still by their devices (what Apple cares about) without Apple having to do that much.

June 16 2011 at 3:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
 Mike Beasley

It won't be a big deal. First, who uses Facebook Credits? No one, that's who. Second, Facebook sucks at mobile development. Their iPhone app is in desperate need of a makeover. Heck, there's a third-party app that lets you tag friends in your status updates, but even Facebook's app won't let you do that because there's no API for it! This will fail.

June 16 2011 at 2:55 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
James Coulee

So, what they are trying to do is to have with Mobile Safari the same functionality they already have with their normal website and flash apps.

I can't really understand why there's such a fuss over this. Facebook already has Apps and a credit system: they just weren't available to iOS devices.

June 16 2011 at 2:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DEEmery

I think Facebook has -huge trust issues- to overcome here.

June 16 2011 at 2:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
puhsitch

What it sounds like in a broader sense is Facebook essentially trying to create its own version of the Internet...one that lays a huge heap of golden eggs. Full circle back to the early days of AOL!

June 16 2011 at 2:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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