Despite the devices not being available for another two weeks, developers are already madly working to complete applications for the iPad to coincide with its launch. Few companies have prototype iPads to work with, most are making guesses based on Apple’s iPad emulator for the Mac and testing on iPhone or iPod devices.
Most of the companies who do have them are media companies, not developers, like the New York Times. In addition, developers who have been given access to the emulation software are also sworn to secrecy about it.
Probably the largest market for the iPad, over time, is going to be as an e-reader that can do things other than just load books. At least, that’s what CrunchGear thinks. Since the iPad is being said by many to be not much more than a much larger-screened iPhone, this may be the case, since the number one complaint amongst iPhone users who download e-books is the small screen size. Amazon has already prepped a Kindle-like app for the iPad and has plans to have versions for all coming tablets.
Snarkmarket agrees with this assessment of the iPad’s usefulness as an e-reader with bonuses. The Kindle, the top reader on the market, is unable to do anything but store and display electronic books. With an iPad, that book reader would be capable of showing color graphics, video embeds, or have interactivity with the Web as part of the experience – not to mention sound and more.
With so much secrecy surrounding the iPad, the speculation is, of course, wild. Most would probably agree that the initial iPad releases this year will likely be devices that really aren’t much more functional than an iPhone.
