Facebook and Ping not Working Together Just Yet

It’s been a strange first day for Apple’s brand new social network. Some music fans have been able to connect with their friends on Ping via Facebook, but the vast majority of us are finding no trace of Facebook. The reason? Steve Jobs says their terms were “onerous” and that Apple simply couldn’t agree to them. Okay, that’s not too surprising. We all know Jobs and Apple are particular about who they make partners. But the strange twist is that this all must have happened very last minute.

Phil Schiller, who’s pretty high up over at Apple, even said on Wednesday (the day of the keynote) that Ping users would be able to use Facebook to find friends. But then it was apparently yanked from the software release due to those pesky “terms” Jobs alluded to.

At least it was ALMOST completely yanked. A story from Cult of Mac’s Giles Turnbull explains how a certain few have been able to use Facebook in conjunction with Ping. Even Apple’s own page for Ping showed a screenshot that clearly stated you can find more friends by “connecting to your Facebook account.”

I guess the only fact to glean from this weirdness is that Apple and Facebook aren’t in perfect harmony. But what’s the alternative if not Facebook? Jobs said, “You can type their names in search or send them emails inviting them to join.” I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Facebook connectivity is a deal breaker for me getting hooked on Ping, but it would definitely be a huge benefit. Maybe Jobs is hoping those onerous terms will be lifted once Facebook “sees the light,” which is what he’s expecting TV networks to do when it comes to 99 cent rentals. Apple and Facebook were obviously close to an agreement, seeing as they had all the tools in place to be intertwined with this Ping experiment. Let’s hope they can makeup.

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Devin Wieland

 

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