Facebook Home Will Not Come To The iPhone

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Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has been making waves in recent weeks with its release of Facebook Home on the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform. Information coming to light today suggests that there is little chance of the software being ported to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS devices.

Facebook Home Will Not Come To The iPhone

According to a Bloomberg piece on Monday, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is talking with both Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) representatives about expanding the service to their mobile platforms. According to a source referred to by The Next Web today, no talks are taking place about porting the service.

Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) CEO has said that his company maintains an “active dialogue to do more” with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). It doesn’t seem likely that the companies will partner on a Facebook Home service for iOS.

It seems unlikely that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would allow a service like Facebook Home into its App Store. Apple has done its best to keep control of a user’s experience on iOS. Facebook Home, in a form similar to the Android version, would dominate a user’s experience of their mobile device. This is not in line with Apple’s strategy since the introduction of their platform.

This means that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is, for the time being, reliant on the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform for a great deal of its revenue expansion opportunities. With Google and Facebook operating in very similar businesses, the situation may not be strategically tenable for the Menlo Park company.

Facebook Home has so far garnered lukewarm reviews on the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play store. Facebook did not need to work closely with Google in order to get the application accepted on Android.

Facebook Home has been lauded by some in the tech industry, but its efficacy as a revenue source has not yet been tested. The application is only available on a small selection of devices at this time.

If Apple does not agree to incorporate a version of Home, Facebook is left with very few options. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), much like its Cupertino rival, likes to define the user experience on its mobile devices. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) may be left to concentrate on Android for a long time, reducing the impact of Facebook Home.

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