Facebook's Project Spartan to Take Down Apple on iOS Itself

Facebook's up to a lot of mischief. First, it's planning its own photo sharing app, then it's planning a special iPad app, now it's got Project Spartan. Project Spartan is one of Facebook's more "take 'er down" projects. It's the name of a new platform Facebook is said to be developing. This platform is entirely HTML5 based and it aimed to hit 100 million users in a key area i.e. mobile. This platform will work exclusively on iOS (iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads) but won't be sold through the App Store. Instead, it will work through the mobile browser aka Safari.

Facebook wants to cut Apple's strict app process

This very clearly looks like a Facebook versus Apple fight. Facebook seems to want to teach Apple a lesson for being so stringent with the way it sells apps through its App Store. Facebook's hired the help of about 80 outside developers for Project Spartan. A lot of these outside developers are working of apps to work in the platform like news reading apps and game apps (like Huffington Post and Zynga). A big thing they're working on is Credits, to facilitate in app purchases on iOS without having to go through the App Store and giving Apple a cut. It won't be a sophisticated platform at launch, but really its launch is more of a "in your face, Apple!"