SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fresh off a disappointing initial public offering, Facebook is getting a big boost from Apple, which is building the social network deep into its iPhone and iPad software.
With the next version of Apple Inc.’s software, users will be able to update their Facebook status by talking to their phones.
Users will also be able to “Like” movies and apps in Apple’s iTunes store, Apple executive Scott Forstall said in San Francisco at Apple’s annual developers’ conference.
Siri, Apple’s voice-command application, will add a host of new languages, including Spanish, Korean and Mandarin Chinese, Forstall said. “She” will also be able to launch applications and movies. She will also run on iPads for the first time.
Apple says the new software, iOS 6, will launch this fall. It updates the software annually, usually coinciding with the release of a new iPhone. Even as Apple lends Facebook a hand, it’s cutting off one of its links to Google Inc., which makes a rival suite of software for smartphones. IOS 6 will use Apple’s own Maps applications rather than Google’s. The application will come with traffic reports and turn-by-turn navigation.