iOS 6 Release Set For Facebook Integration

Apple has been tipped this week as shaking hands with Facebook in a very real way with the end result being a realease of iOS 6 with full Facebook integration. This expansion of the Apple mobile operating system for use on the future iPhone 5 as well as the iPad 3 and beyond has been tipped by a source speaking with TechCrunch with not a whole lot of hard facts to surround the idea included. That of course is essentially irrelevant at this point due to the fact that Facebook and Apple have been moving ever closer to one another for years, with cross-integration being an inevitability – it's only been when, not if.

The next big release for Apple in the mobile software world appears at this moment to be either an Apple Maps replacement for Google Maps or iOS 6. It could also be iOS 6 with Apple's own version of Maps included on it, released as imminently as this month at WWDC 2012. On the other hand, Apple has just released another bump to the iOS 5.x version they've got out now for iPhone 4/4S and the iPad 3. Much more likely is the idea that Facebook integration will come with another 5.x upgrade so as to avoid any backlash on iPhone sales should the relationship turn sour.

Facebook has recently had several application releases on both iOS and Android, with the Facebook Camera App being the most recent of these. This camera now exists on both Android and iOS with its sole intent to be enticing the smartphone or tablet user into using it alone, instantly sharing then everything they capture. It's difficult to imagine that Apple would bet the farm on a fully-integrated Facebook-heavy iPhone, but perhaps ease in log-ins will suffice.

Stay tuned as the Facebook / Apple saga continues to unfold.