iPad iPhone-to-iPad development: How's the timing going to work out?

[kjk]

http://www.marco.org/366130089

Marco Arment is the developer behind the excellent Instapaper app.

This is one reason why I suspect there’s something we haven’t been told yet: I don’t think anyone’s iPad-native apps will be available on day one. My best guess is that the iPad will be released with only the built-in apps and iPhone-native app capability. After a few weeks or months, as the SDK gets another revision or two and everyone has solid, universal (iPad and iPhone) apps submitted and (hopefully) pre-approved, the iPad App Store will officially open. This could happen sometime closer to WWDC in June.

I hope it goes something like this, because I don’t want to have to choose between those options.

I'm wondering if certain developers will get iPads to test on ahead of time.

[Bremen Cole]

I would wager that certain "special" developers will get one. EA, big players like that.

I really don't think they have to worry too much about having a lot of iPad only apps at launch. With the built in stuff to play with, plus the 27 billion iPhone apps available (for all I know the number is that high by now... ) there will be plenty to do with the new toy.

[nikkie]

What? Why? Several of my friends develop for the iP* devices and they have already started. They are ready to go.

There is an emulator after all.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by nikkie

What? Why? Several of my friends develop for the iP* devices and they have already started. They are ready to go.

There is an emulator after all.

Hardware device testing is required for app submission and approval. I'm a developer myself. So unless Apple makes what would be a very foolish concession here, there will be a delay between the first shipments and the first dedicated apps from most developers.

In the past, they definitely have provided early release hardware to star developers though, so I expect the top most popular 50 or so development houses will have day 1 iPad releases. Apple will likely supply hardware to around 50 developers that will commit to a day 1 release of something they know is popular.

Also it's worth noting that what you get in the SDK is not an emulator, it's a simulator, it doesn't run the binaries that run on the real device and therefore can not be trusted as a testing platform. It only exists for the purpose of speeding up the development cycle so not all test runs have to be deployed to hardware. The software running in the simulator will run as fast as the computer it's on, with 3d capabilities that the real device may not support and so on. That's why hardware testing is required.

So while it will result in an annoying delay for a month or so, it is well worth it in the long run to have these policies in place.