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Dear Mark Zuckerberg: Where's the Facebook iPad app?


Dear Mark Zuckerberg,

You've made the the biggest social network on the planet, you've made quite a few enemies, and you've made Jesse Eisenberg into Hollywood's next Oscar-winning megastar (I know all this because I just saw your Mr. Fincher's movie). Now why can't you make a Facebook iPad app?

When you announced your event the other day, I got excited and thought one small announcement might be an iPad app. I wasn't the only one either. But the event came and went, and while Facebook's new download feature is freaking awesome, an official Facebook iPad app would be pretty cool, too.


The iPad's been out for six months. In the first 80 days, Apple sold 3 million of them. In a few weeks, we'll probably be hearing that Apple has sold upwards of 9 million iPads. Now, I know 9 million is not a lot when you've got 500 million users, but since getting my iPad, I spend 80% of my computer/Internet time on it. My laptop only gets love anymore when I need to write long pieces. And yes, I spend a lot of time on Facebook on my iPad. I even keep a shortcut to your site in my iPad's dock.

While I love both Facebook and my iPad, using the two together can be kind of a pain. For example, when I log into Facebook on my iPad, I can't use Facebook Chat, I can't upload photos, and most people can't scroll through the See All list of friends pop-ups (I actually can -- you just need to scroll with two fingers -- but a lot of people don't know that).

I wasn't even going to write an article about this. I was just going to send you a private message, but you've never accepted any of the 1,000 friend requests that I've sent you. So, then I was going to just write a Facebook Note about this, but... wait for it... you can't create Notes on Facebook on the iPad. When you select the body of the note, all you get is a blue Select All field. Now, whether that is a Facebook problem or an iPad Safari problem, who knows? It's just another reason why we need a Facebook app, though: so that everything works properly.

I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that there are several unofficial Facebook iPad apps on the App Store, but when you cut me, my blood runs 3B5998. I want The Official App -- and so do at least 3 million of your iPad-using friends. I'll close by telling you what one of them told me (via Facebook, of course) about the lack of an official app: "If they are really intent on taking over the world and brainwashing all of us with their FB voodoo, it seems that the iPad is the next logical step. Obviously!"

Then again, you don't need me or Justin Timberlake Sean Parker, or anyone else to tell you that an iPad app is a logical step for Facebook. We've seen your movie; we know how cunning and forward-thinking you are. You already know that iPad usage is only going to grow - perhaps by as many as 45 million units next year. You have to be working on an app. That means the only real question I need to ask is this: when can we "Like" it?

Best,
Michael

PS: Please accept my friend request this time.