Social branding firm Vitrue has launched an official Facebook application for Apple's App Store, letting people browse its catalogue from the social network, and share recommendations with friends.

"To create the page and its custom components, Vitrue worked with the iTunes team at Apple to provide strategic guidance, creative design, solution development and account management," explains Vitrue in a blog post.

The Facebook version of the App Store includes tabs for featured apps, games, searching and sharing, and discussions. It even has its own Wall, and more than 80,000 fans already.

Vitrue says more advanced features will be added in the months ahead "to help fans sort through the virtual mountain of apps and easily discover what their friends like".

The company previously worked with Apple on its official Facebook page for iTunes. The new launch is a hugely positive move for Apple to inject a bit more social virality into the App Store ecosystem.

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We suspect it'll be welcomed slightly less excitedly by US firm Mplayit, which until now had the Facebook+iPhone Apps space to itself.