I’ll believe this when I see it.  Facebook is taking it’s dear sweet time when it comes to optimizing it’s service for mobile devices.  This has to be a polished launch in order to be taken seriously.

The app needs to have all current Facebook features,  and no mention of anything “coming soon.”   For those that rely on using Facebook for business,  the urgency is much higher than just releasing an official app for a new platform.

Facebook had its application for the iPhone ready right when the Apple App Store opened in July 2008. But more than a year after the iPad went on sale, there is still no official Facebook app for it.

That is about to change. People briefed on Facebook’s plans say that in coming weeks the company plans to introduce a free iPad application that has been carefully designed and optimized for the tablet.

The app has been in production at Facebook for almost a year, going through several design iterations, and is now in the final stages of testing, according to these people, who declined to be named because they were discussing confidential product plans says the New York Times.

Using Facebook.com from an iPad isn’t a totally worthless experience.  Large fingers may find it difficult to click on items in the left column.   Very easy to use without searching for a third party application.

Personally, I’m looking for a way to switch between a Facebook Page administrator and my regular account.  The iPhone application doesn’t have a way to do that yet.   If a page administrator posts something from an iPhone,  it sometimes shows up as an individual and switches the post over after a few minutes.  Very surprising this bug hasn’t been fixed yet.

While sitting back and waiting for an official iPad app,  I recommend MyPad+.  The design is similar to the Twitter for iPad application.   It has yet to crash or give me any performance issues.  Currently on sale for 99 cents in the App Store.