It's been nearly a year and a half since Apple first launched the iPad, and Facebook still lacks an iPad app. There has been speculation that Facebook would reveal an official app for the tablet this summer, but it hasn't happened yet.
But over the weekend, TechCrunch's MG Sielger discovered what he believes to Facebook's iPad app, hidden in the code of the most recent version of the Facebook iPhone app (version 3.4.4).
Written using HTML5, the app is very good, Siegler says, and it's much different from the iPhone app.
"In particular, the navigation system is great… the Facebook iPad app uses a left-side menu system that can be accessed by the touch of a button or the flick of the iPad screen," he writes. "The app also makes great use of the pop-overs (overlay menus) found in other iPad apps. When you flip the iPad horizontally, the list of your online friends appears and you can chat with them as you do other things on Facebook."
Other features include a photo viewer that works similarly to the iPad's native photo app and a map that shows locations of your friends on Facebook Places. Facebook reps haven't commented on the discovery, but Siegler says he confirmed that the app is the real deal with a "source who had previously seen the app."
It's been a long wait for an official Facebook iPad app, especially considering Facebook for iPhone is the most-downloaded iPhone app of all time. The lack of a native iPad app has left room for third-party developers to create their own apps like Friendly and iFace, which have been some of the most popular iPad apps in the App Store.
It's unclear when Facebook will launch this app, if it is in fact real. But if it's anything like Siegler claims, it might be worth the wait.