With the announcement of the iPad shipping April 3, 2010, Apple opened up a plethora of new possibilities for application developers. iPad Apps will undoubtedly see the same success that has been seen with the iPod Touch and iPhone. Many potential iPhone developers turned iPad developers are extremely excited about the many possibilities that will come from their original iPhone Apps and their soon-to-come ipad apps.
In all honesty, the iPad will create a new gold rush for application developers. There will be a lot of money that can be made from this new product, and in multiple ways. Those who work with iPad app development will see benefits in three major ways: Cross-Product Ability, Old Applications, and New Applications.
Cross Product Abilities
The iPad will have an interesting feature that will allow applications to be used on both the iPhone and the iPad. Applications that are created for the iPhone will be able to be bumped up to the iPad. This gives iPad app developers the ability to double the market that they may reach. They will design one game but will be able to have that game purchased for two separate pieces of technology.
Old Applications Should Work
The major gold rush that will come for current developers will come in the form of the applications that they have already created. Nearly all of the applications that have been created for the iPhone will be able to be used on the iPad. While no extra money will be made off of those who already own the application, money can be made off of iPad users who do not have the iPhone. Developers will not need to perform any more work on the applications that they have already created, but will be able to push them for an entirely new platform.
New Applications for the iPad
The biggest part of the application gold rush that will hit the iTunes store because of the iPad will be because of the newest capabilities of the ipad. To put it simply, the iPad is bigger. There are multiple developers who have axed ideas or halted application ideas because the screen of the iPhone was too small. They will now be able to attempt those applications for the iPad.
Application development teams will have the ability to do more with their applications. The big touch screen will allow for more to be placed on the screen at once. Applications can be more complicated, providing more information at once without having any visibility issues.
iPad app developers will see multiple benefits from the release of the iPad. The new product gives them something new and unique to explore as they reap the benefits from any old iPhone applications they may have created. If these developers use a mixture of both old applications and new applications, they can easily see more money than ever before through any iPad application development. Some new and exciting opportunties will arise for the likes of the restaraunt industry (think iPad menus) and the medical field (think of a doctor walking around with an iPad instead of a clipboard and a medical chart).