So, after the annoucement that devs have by march 27 to submit their apps to be included on the launch date of the ipad, there's been this rush to get the apps ready from across developer companies and indie devs everywhere. What's the biggest "advantage", if any, of meeting this really short notice deadline? I dont see any much of a difference when apps are sent later for a next batch of apps for the ipad. Is launch date availability that important? Or am i missing another advantage?
The obvious advantage is that people with a new toy are ready to buy some apps. And with less iPad specific apps available on day 1, you will have much greater visibility. Expect a flood of apps after the launch...
Also, I would have thought that, just like before, early adopters are more likely to be featured in official Apple advertisements which will be available for all to see on iTunes forever more.
Then it's crucial to be in that batch of first available apps then. How big is the headstart of the apps that meet this deadline and are available at launch time versus apps that are sent afterwards? The ipad is going live on April 3, right? When would the apps that missed the deadline be available after being approved?
I think quality (in every sense) will be important on the iPad in a way that it isn't so much on the iPhone/iPod Touch. For that reason, I think it's worth risking being part of the 2nd wave if that means you have time to develop a really high quality game that will appeal to customers expecting something special of their $500 toy. The way I read the pundits is that iPad users are likely to be more discerning, fewer in numbers and thus less forgiving of hurried development efforts. Just my thoughts...
Apple is still making advertising for several apps which were available at App Store day one, although they are sometimes really quite bad compared to more recent titles. It's always good to be one of the first, although there are lot of risks - being ignored under the flood of iPad game releases, or having bugs or bad game play because you were not able to test it on the real iPad. I've seen that there are games for iPad which will use dual-stick controls, but on the iPad that will feel quite awkward. Applications which can be used with one hand (the other hand holding the device) or like a keyboard (the device laying on the table) will fit better.
