Facebook iPhone app to get speed bump next month
For the social network-inclined iPhone user who's been suffering a painfully slow iOS Facebook experience, and was praying for a speed update, salvation is nigh.
To say that Facebook's iPhone app is slow could be considered generous. In truth, it makes the tortoise look like the hare.
It seems almost inconceivable (and yes, I do think that word means what I think it means) that a Web-focused, modern company could produce such a slow rendition of its product on the most popular mobile product on the planet.
But, not to fear, Facebook has heard the crowing (and has seen the one-star reviews) and plans to update its iPhone app, according to The New York Times.
The New York Times managed to get two unnamed engineers to reveal that the Facebook iOS app has been completely retooled and will feature the only thing that really matters in social-networking apps -- speed.
If you're wondering why Facebook's current app is so incredibly slow, you only need to look at its programming language. The current app is essentially an HTML5 Web site nestled into an iOS app shell. The slowness comes from the app constantly reloading your information.
For example, if I check my Facebook wall, then go to my news feed, Facebook has to load that feed. Then, if I go back to my wall, the Facebook app reloads my entire wall feed. The new Objective-C-based app will solve this problem.
According to the engineers, the new Facebook iOS app is being tested by Facebook employees and should be released sometime this summer.
Is a faster Facebook iPhone app essential to your continued use of Zuckerberg's social network? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!