Apple Picks Twitter Over Facebook

The Huffington Post reports:

Apple has revamped the software that powers its iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to include, for the first time ever, a major integration with a social network -- but not the one you might think.

For the social media features in the new version of its iOS operating system, Apple, the world's most valuable technology company, did not partner with Facebook, the world's largest social networking site.

Instead, the Cupertino company opted to team up with Twitter, a micro-blogging service that has around half as many members as Facebook and remains far from attaining its mainstream status.

Twitter will be built in to iOS 5 and integrated across multiple Apple applications. By signing into Twitter just once, users will be able to instantly send tweets containing photos, videos, links and more.

Experts suggest the Facebook snub stemmed from Apple’s desire to maintain control over the user experience and preserve its direct relationship with its customers, aims that clashed with Facebook's own ambitions.