With Apple’s iPad just a bit more than a week away, developers are getting excited about the possibilities of deploying their apps on a giant 9.7-inch version of the iPhone. “If there ever was a space to do some land-grabbing in, this is it,” said Scott Lahman, CEO of Gogii, which publishes a popular app called TextPlus, which lets iPhone users text-message without paying AT&T for the privilege.
While it’s not clear how a text-messaging app would benefit from a huge screen, it’s clear to advertisers that the iPad could be, well, awesome.
Getting in Early
“I’d rather be in early than sit back and wait and let my competitors get early traction,” Ken Willner, CEO of Zumobi, a Seattle-based developer of ad-supported apps, told USA Today. “It’s a larger device, so it’s better for advertising.”
Zumobi will have a new iPad app for Motor Trend magazine ready at launch.
While existing iPhone and iPad touch apps work will work on the iPad, developers will have to revamp them to take full advantage of all that real estate. The so-called iPhone on steroids has the potential to create a whole new category of device — one focused even more than the iPhone on entertainment.
“The iPad isn’t a phone,” said Gene Munster, who follows Apple for Piper Jaffray. “It’s a different animal.” Munster predicts it will be a big animal, making up as much as 10 to 15 percent of Apple’s revenue by 2012.
Remaking the Living Room
“This is the iPhone moving into the living room,” Bart Decrem, CEO of Tapulous, the maker of the popular Tap Tap Revenge game, told USA Today. “In the short term, it’s an extension of the iPhone. In the long term, it’s a brand-new platform that will move eyeballs off gaming consoles and laptops.”
The problem: How to…