Seven months after the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft can finally confirm that Facebook will bring an official version of its social-networking application to the platform.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made the better-late-than-never reveal during his keynote address at the company's Build 2013 developer conference in San Francisco, though he didn't provide timing on the pending release.
The platform's first official Facebook application will be designed by the social network and built for Windows 8 tablets to start, likely with a fall release date, a Facebook spokesperson told CNET.
The timing around the belated news is a bit of a head-scratcher considering that Microsoft owns a stake in Facebook, and its Windows Store is populated with a smattering of unofficial Facebook apps built by third-party app makers.
Microsoft will hit 100,000 applications on Windows 8 "within this month," Ballmer said Wednesday. Eventually, the platform's list of applications will include Flipboard and NFL Fantasy Football, which are also currently in the works.
Update, 1:00 p.m. PT: Added information from Facebook spokesperson.