Mashable: Facebook to unveil iPad app at iPhone 5 event

Mashable has learned that the official Facebook app may finally be unveiled at the reported October 4 iPhone 5 event, along with a new version of the iPhone Facebook app that will mimic its iPad sibling. This comes on the heels of Facebook admitting that the app has been stuck in limbo earlier Monday, and a few of us in the TUAW newsroom were quite sure it would never see the light of day.

Mashable's sources tell the site that the delay was a combination of timing and its relationship with Apple. They've had a somewhat volatile relationship with Facebook, including Facebook Connect being yanked from Ping. Mashable's sources are saying Apple is working with Facebook to perfect the HTML5 platform to bring Facebook Platform to mobile devices.

With it being this close to the rumored event, it's no surprise that a flurry of rumors abound. I'm quite sure tomorrow we'll find out the iPhone 5 will be powered by the Energizer Bunny using a battery crafted by MacGuyver. While an iPad Facebook app would be welcomed news, the timing is a bit odd. Why would an iPhone event feature an iPad app? With as much hype as it's gotten, especially after the leak earlier this year, why would Facebook or Apple tack it onto the iPhone app announcement? Why would Apple help Facebook bring Facebook Platform to mobile devices? Crafting a platform that would work on its competitors' devices, such as the Galaxy Tab, is filed among things Apple likely wouldn't do unless it was to promote its own products, such as porting iTunes and Safari to Windows.

Do you think this is finally the Facebook iPad app's time? Or is just another blowing of smoke in the wind?