Lately, we’ve been hearing rumors of Apple working on integration Facebook into iPhone OS. While this hasn’t been officially announced, we’ve seen clues in the OS code hinting at the integration. Patently Apple has come across a new patent by Apple which is full of various workflows workflows of adding contacts and social networking, with Facebook shown as an example.
The aim of this patent seems to be simplifying social networking exchanges. There’s a new icon shown in the image which would presumably be used for these exchanges. But if Facebook contacts are to be integrated with iPhone contacts, why create another icon to add social contacts?
The workflows shown above seem really tightly integrated into the OS, and might possibly remove the need of a Facebook app. But then again, to upload images and visit profiles, an app might be required. Social integration is one area where the iPhone OS has fallen way behind competing operating systems such as Android and even HTC’s Sense UI customizations for Android and Windows Mobile. Hopefully, Apple realizes that and does something about it.
