App Store? There's a Facebook page for that
Apple's App Store has infiltrated Facebook, letting friends browse together in a social networking app orgy
Facebook now has an Apple App Store fan page, letting iPhone and iPod touch owners share their favourite apps with their chums. Created by social branding firm Vitrue, the App Store page sports its very own wall and a 'Search & Share' tab.
With well over 150,000 applications and games available to iPhone users, it's always been a headache to track down the golden needles in this haystack of apps. Apple's top featured lists have been useful, but the newly launched Facebook page gives the store a much-needed social injection.
This is a tactic that has already seen great success on Vitrue's iTunes Facebook page, which now harbours over 3.3 million rabid fans. The App Store page has 100,000 followers already.
"Both the App Store and Facebook are currently two of the hottest application development platforms today, so bringing the two together is a match made in heaven. People love their apps and nowhere are they better able to express these feelings than Facebook," Vitrue writes in a blog post.
The new page includes a number of tabs, such as featured apps, games, and its own wall. Most importantly the page features a 'Search & Share' tab that basically does what it says on the tin -- search for apps and share them with your friends without leaving the life-zapping hub that is Facebook. Once an app is found, clicking the 'Get app' button will open iTunes and let you complete your purchase.
Vitrue promises a number of advanced features for the App Store page over the coming months, and it's likely that the iPad will get in on the action when it launches in April. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Useful tool or rather too much "I've got an iPhone" bragging in your news feed already?