In an interview with The New York Times, Ben Silbermann said an app is in the works, but did not name a launch date. The two-year-old social bookmarking site, which has skyrocketed in popularity in recent months, already has an iPhone app but doesn't have apps for any other smartphone platforms.
It's not surprising that the company would release an iPad app before launching an app for Android, even though far more people own Android smartphones than iPads. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup employs only 20 people, and its staffers are already familiar with Apple's mobile operating system, iOS. Developing an Android app would require the hiring of engineers with a background in a different programming language, Java.
Pinterest could not be reached for comment on the expected launch date for an iPad nor an Android app by press time.
In addition, Silbermann told The Times that the company has severed its relationship with affiliate revenue service Skimlinks after user backlash. Previously, Pinterest received a cut every time a user clicked on a pinned product and then purchased it from retailer's website. Users were largely unaware, however, that the company was making money from their pins. It's unclear whether and how Pinterest will generate money in the future.
Silbermann added that the company is continuing to address another recent issue: copyright. Some publishers are displeased that their content has been pinned to Pinterest without proper attribution. The startup has since released a tool that allows publishers to block pinning on their websites, but is still working on a more extensive solution to the problem.
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