Exclusive Apps for the iPad?

With all the hoopla about Apple’s upcoming technological baby, the iPad, one has to wonder about the effects on the App Store.  We know that Apple will be releasing an iBookstore as part of iTunes for the download of books and probably magazines.

What about apps?  How will they be affected?  Most of the apps developed before now have been optimized for the smaller screens of the iPhone and iPod touch.  Is that the reason for the 60 day delay in the iPad’s release?  So that developers can re-develop for the iPad.

My theory is this: a new breed of apps will be released that will be exclusively for the iPad, and they will likely have a higher price point than the iPhone apps initially.  I’m sure that after some time though, the draw of .99 for an app will probably occur on the iPad as well, and the majority will end up there.

But the real question that sticks in my mind is, what sort of apps are going to come out for the iPad that couldn’t come out for the iPhone/Touch because of the extra screen real estate?  The greater amount of visual real estate will surely lead to more complex apps that would work less awkwardly than on the smaller equivalents.

If current Apps are re-created for the larger screen, will iPad versions of the apps we all know and love have to be repurchased for the iPad?  Unlikely, as that goes against the iTunes model in which one purchase guarantees free updates for the app (which should include modifications for different screen sizes).

The veracity of my theory will be proven just after the first release of the iPad is done around the end of March.  I’m sure there will be a flood of new applications shortly thereafter for us to write about, and we will have our iPads ready to review them for you!