Twitter Gets the Keys to iOS Kingdom- Click here http://bit.ly/mHEjma for full article

Twitter Gets the Keys to iOS Kingdom- Click here http://bit.ly/mHEjma for full article

When rumors of Apple iOS 5's Twitter integration first appeared, it was hard to tell to what extent the social media platform would be integrated. However, it is now clear that Twitter has essentially been baked into iOS 5, making it much easier for developers and users to take advantage of.

Although there are plenty of existing iOS apps that use Twitter, they usually require the user to sign in to Twitter every time they want to use it. Also, the developers of those apps were forced to come up with their own way to communicate with the Twitter API on iOS. In iOS5, when users install a Twitter-enabled app, they will be asked if it is alright for the app to use their Twitter account. If the user allows the Twitter integration, that app will never require the user to log in to Twitter again. And because Apple has created a wrapper for the entire Twitter API, its capabilities will increase and change along with Twitter, keeping developers on the cutting edge of Twitter support. Ryan Sarver, Twitter’s Director of Platform, believes this will protect users and increase convenience. Sarver says Twitter has always been interested in mobile integration.

iOS 5 Twitter integration offers developers a new way to encourage users to promote their apps. Many current iOS apps ask the user to give them a good rating on the App Store, but this requires leaving the app to open the App Store program. Now, with the Tweet Sheet feature that overlays a Twitter form on the top of any app, users can Tweet a positive review or remark about an app without leaving it. Sarver promises that Twitter is stable enough to handle the traffic these features will generate.

Many have wondered why Apple has courted Twitter so aggressively instead of Facebook. Although Apple has not officially commented on this, there are several possible reasons. When Apple released Ping, the social network portion of iTunes, it turned out that Facebook integration had been pulled because Facebook's terms were too burdensome for Apple. Also, Twitter's API is much leaner than Facebook's, making it easier for iOS architects to integrate. Additionally, Facebook's wealth of features may be seen by Apple as competing with their App Store.

Twitter iOS integration represents a new step for both Twitter and Apple. It remains to be seen how it will change iOS development.