On Thursday, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) launched an app center that offers over 600 apps including popular games, utilities and social media services. Facebook links Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play with its App Center so that users can easily download the mobile apps from there. However, some of the apps can also be downloaded directly from the Facebook website.
The app center will be available on desktop and mobile phones. “The App Center represents a new way for users to discover social applications. The developers also get exposure to over 900 million Facebook users.” said Douglas Purdy, Facebook’s director of developer products, during the launch of App Center in San Francisco. He also added that Apple App Store got 83 million visits in the last month through Facebook.
The app center will offer only high quality apps and provide users a personalized experience based on their Facebook behavior and what apps are popular in their friend circle.
“Every app in the App Centre has screenshots and a detailed description, so you can learn more about it before installing it,” said Matt Wyndowe, Facebook’s product manager for apps and games. “It helps you control your privacy by showing the information an app needs and letting you choose who can see your activity on Facebook.”
Facebook’s Mobile Challenge
The social media giant has earlier announced that the “financial performance and ability to grow revenue would be negatively affected” if the company fails to generate revenues through mobile users. The biggest problem is that Facebook can’t display many ads on mobile devices due to their smaller screen size.
As of March 2012, more than 488 million of its 902 million users were using mobile platforms – which is more than 50 percent of the total. The company’s inability to make money through mobile users is one of the main reasons that caused a wave of pessimism in the Facebook stock, as more and more users will be shifting to mobile in future.
The Facebook App Center with above 600 apps will begin rolling out to people in the U.S. today. However, It will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.
