Now that Apple’s iPad has launched, what can you do with it? What kind of new and existing applications will we see on this new Apple product line? Apple has released an updated software development kit with an iPad simulator to encourage developers to create new applications or revised versions of existing ones.
The iPad, with an updated version of the iPhone operating system, can utilize the approximately 140,000 applications currently in Apple’s App Store, but there are limitations. The main one is that those applications were developed for the smaller screens of the iPhone and iPod touch.
Doubling an App’s Pixels
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, attended the iPad launch and tested “a lot of applications.” He noted that existing apps run on the iPad in a boxed window. Within the box, he said, the resolution is fine, “but it’s just too small” when seen on the iPad. He noted that an on-screen button enables doubling the pixels of the app, so it fills the screen.
“For some apps,” Greengart said, “that works fine,” such as the popular Bejeweled game, where the small jewels become larger. But for other applications, he noted, this artificial resolution is not very satisfactory.
The additional screen real estate also gives more room for interaction and information. Greengart noted that office-productivity programs are available for the iPhone and iPod touch, but the screen size and lack of a keyboard greatly restrain a user’s ability to accomplish work. On the iPad, users can work more normally. In addition to the larger screen size, an iPad dock for connecting a keyboard is being released.
Greengart also pointed to a Major League Baseball application designed specifically for the iPad, which was shown at the launch. The iPhone version, he said, is intended for “quick hits of information,”…
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