iPad Won't Launch With Many Apps, Games [UPDATE]
UPDATE: Apple iPad preorders hit an estimated 50,000 in the first two hours. Note that shipped preorders require a payment, while in-store pick ups are just reservations.
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Today the iPad preorder begins, but from intel at this week's Game Developers Conference to a report from Forbes, it's clear the iPad launch won't be awash with original apps -- or even many of the iPhone apps.
From Forbes:
Apple has heavily publicized the fact that iPad users will have access to the more than 140,000 applications that developers have created for the iPhone and iPod touch. It still has a ways to go. AppSlice data indicates that only 16,700 iPhone apps have been certified as iPad-compatible so far.
We're talking about 10 percent of the apps -- and the iPad launches on April 3. Three weeks may be plenty of time for another company to get most of its apps approved, but Apple's long, awkward and draconian approval history should make all of us skeptical. I'm guessing there will be 25 percent available at most.Furthermore, the buzz at the Game Developers Conference is that most game companies won't be launching with iPad games on day one. It's been called a huge iPod Touch, but there are a myriad of issues translating to the iPad. Of note:
- Resolution: The iPad has three times the screen size of the iPod Touch. Depending on the game, a development company would have to redo and increase the size of the 2D graphics or, even if it is scalable, resample the visuals at a higher resolution.
- Controls: An icon usually done with a finger swipe or touch is now the size of your thumb, if not bigger. It's unclear how many control adjustments must be done for accuracy, particularly on the gaming front.
- Price: This hasn't been discussed much, but iPad games no doubt will be more expensive than the iPhone/iPod Touch counterparts to cover additional research and development costs. How will developers justify the higher price? Adding more features to the game -- which will push many release dates later than the first iPad launch.
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