Facebook “Project Spartan” – HTML5 Web App & iPad Version Coming Soon

TechCrunch has today announced that they have confirmed “Project Spartan” exists and explained what it is.

It is a new HTML 5 Web App version of Facebook which they have been working on secretly for months now and is apparently ready to go live right now.

Weirdly, there was a page on Facebook Developer website talking about an HTML 5 version of the app here, but at time of writing is now offline. However, the page has been made available in a mirror on scribd.com

A confident TechCrunch then announces that the iPad version of the Facebook App, which was accidently found within the iPhone version not long ago and then removed, is ready to be released and they are about to release it.
Mashable had reported that Facebook are to launch the iPad version during Apples event on Tuesday, however this event is so far pointing to be just for iPhone, not iPad. TechCrunch say;

we’ve heard Facebook is actually planning to launch the iPad app at their own iPad/Spartan event on Monday. But they’re still discussing all of this with Apple. And Apple has been well known to change things at the last second. It is possible that they want Facebook to launch this on stage at their event to showcase some of the new HTML5 capabilities of iOS 5 (which will also be formally unveiled at the event).

Because Facebook have just had their F8 event, with no announcement of any of this during that, it could be likely that they are trying to get it announced with Apple to hype it up. However, if Apple say no, we could still see it on the same day as the Apple conference. But…

 According to TechCrunch, Spartan has been delayed a few times already too.

More recently, we’ve been hearing a lot about the collaboration between Apple and Facebook on the project. The two (Facebook iPad and Facebook Spartan) are now joined at the hip, it seems. One will not launch without the other. And apparently, all of this is with Apple’s blessing.

This time it sure looks like the planets are aligning. Sources on both side suggest a major Facebook/Apple/iPad/HTML5 announcement happening early next week one way or another. This time I wouldn’t bet against it.

I don’t think I’ll bet against, either.
We know the iPad version exists. We know Spartan exists. We know Apple have a conference coming.

Facebook would be stupid not to launch it next week.

Lets face it, when would Facebook ever do anything to annoy it’s users? … Oh….