Developers have been busy for months retooling their iPhone apps to make a second debut on the iPad. Some apps are little more than HD versions of the same game, crisper graphics that must be re-purchased for twice the price. Other made-for-iPad apps have been upgraded with features, controls or exclusive add-ons that take advantage of iPad-only technology like the larger screen, reengineered multi-touch or faster processor. And lastly, there are the iPad apps that been designed only for this device, created from scratch to work exclusively with Apple’s new tablet.
For a peek at the kinds of apps that won’t fit on your iPhone, read on! This is our first list of must-have apps for the iPad.
Because of its tablet size, the iPad has been described as “the Kindle killer.” We’ll start our list of 10 new iPad-only apps with the kindle-killing app, Apple’s own iBooks.
iBooks, Apple Computer. Free. Rating: 9/10. If you gave an Amazon Kindle to a loved one last Christmas, you have just gone from angel to idiot. Apple puts its usual attention to design into this app, making e-book reading feel like reading a real book, while adding functionality. Kindle-killing trump card: the iPad’s backlit screen. Apple saved its reader for a screen that can give you an ultra-intuitive “book” experience, but better.
Sketchbook Pro, Autodesk. $7.99. Rating: 10/10. Go to the iTunes store. Read the app reviews. They’re right. Pressure sensitivity, multi-touch exploitation, 10 levels of undo-redo, multi-layer exports in Photoshop format… if you have an artistic bone in your body, you cannot have more fun for $7.99, legally or otherwise.
Korg iELECTRIBE. Korg, Inc. $9.99. Rating: 9/10. This iPad app gets one point off for somewhat more narrow appeal than the above. You need to like beatboxes. But if you’ve worked with real-life beatboxes, you’ll find Korg’s “virtual analog” sound, well, unbeatable.
Netflix, Netflix. Free. Rating: 8/10. Movies and shows on your iPad. That’s it. You need a Netflix membership, but you don’t need a TV anymore.
SkyGrid, SkyGrid Inc. Free. Rating: 8/10. If you’re a zeitgeist junkie, SkyGrid’s a fantastic way to get an overview of Information Velocity. What’s hot, right now, so you can say “That is so 12:54:18,” and mean it. It’s “an RSS reader for the entire web,” as one App Store reviewer puts it.
iMockups for iPad, Endloop Systems, Inc. $9.99. Rating: 8/10. iMockups does one thing and does it fairly well: it lets you produce rough wire-frames for web sites. Auto-fill “greeked” text makes your mockup look real, and it’s easy to rearrange elements and collaborate. You won’t get to the finished product, but, with this iPad app, you’ll be able to get your brainstorming down on “paper.”
Jumbalaya, Fastspot. $2.99. Rating: 8/10. One iPad feature, multi-touch, allows the tablet to be insanely intuitive. Fastspot gets that. In a world used to clicking and pointing, Jumbalaya delivers you the feel of tiles on a table, and the adrenaline of classic timed word-find games like boggle.
Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone for iPad. Telltale Games. $6.99. Rating: 7/10. Intriguing, involving, puzzling, hilarious, and visually beautiful, this paranormal cop scifi comedy adventure may just hook you. Hence, the 7 points. At $6.99 an episode, the serialized saga will get expensive… but it’s soooo good!
Art Authority for iPad. Open Door Networks Inc. $9.99. Rating: 8/10. Forty thousand of the world’s most renowned paintings and sculptures, arranged by time period. Fantastic art appreciation/art history app that links to Wikipedia—but pixels are still pixels. No matter how many shades of white you have, none of them are made from crushed pearls.
Sketcher HD. Acai LLC. $2.99. Rating: 7/10. It’s just an Etch-a-Sketch. Don’t people ever get tired of Etch-a-Sketch? Oh. Right. Actually, it’s more. This iPad app gives you the control the old magnets-and-filings version was missing, with the great memories of the original. It costs less, too!
Do you have your iPad? What are your must-have iPad apps?
April 8th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Thanks! @AppCraver : Must Have! 10 New iPad-Only Apps http://bit.ly/c536yM. Jumbalaya is amongst great company on this list!
April 8th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Must Have! 10 New iPad-Only Apps http://bit.ly/djIYRn
April 9th, 2010 at 1:36 am
Must Have! 10 New iPad-Only Apps http://bit.ly/djZRla
April 9th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
10 New iPad-Only Apps http://www.appcraver.com/must-have-10-new-ipad-only-apps/ #ipad
April 10th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Must Have iPad Apps! 10 New iPad-Only Apps http://bit.ly/c536yM. #Jumbalaya http://www.playjumbalaya.com
April 10th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Must Have iPad Apps! 10 New iPad-Only Apps http://bit.ly/c536yM. #Jumbalaya http://www.playjumbalaya.com
April 10th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Must Have iPad Apps! 10 New iPad-Only Apps http://bit.ly/c536yM. #Jumbalaya http://www.playjumbalaya.com
April 10th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
@AppAdvice Give Jumbalaya a test drive, was listed in Top 10 Must Have iPad only apps http://bit.ly/bcMBAK (DM me if you want a promo code)
April 12th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
I must say you should replace Sketcher HD with etchpad. Etchpad is better in my eyes. you should take a look at it
April 12th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
i would nominate pacific defense to the list. excellent retro wwII effects.
April 13th, 2010 at 1:14 am
wow, cool, nice list, Thanx!
iBook is my favourite!
and here I’d like to add some more free ipad apps, go to: iFunia ipad column “Top 10 Best Free iPad Apps”.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Popplet is the best concept map/mind mapping tool I’ve seen in a long while. Looks and works great on the iPad.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:12 am
SkyGrid should be #1 with the new update. They now have categories. Much much better now! What great content!
April 20th, 2010 at 11:18 am
SkyGrid is an excellent app I agree. Very useful.
July 17th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
You should have added the Re from Newkinetix. Turns the iPad (or iPhone & iPod Touch)into a universal IR remote. Makes controlling the TV, home theatre, CD, DVD (whatever has an IR receiver) so easy. Lets you throw out all your old icky remote controls!!
December 25th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Splastop! For people who look for a remote desktop solution I found this one was the best (while the cheapest like 2 bucks I think) out there. Also, Zinio for magazines, Google mobile app for vocal web search, Dropbox for remote files, 2do and Evernote for great life organizer tools. I’d like to add Remote from Apple is the one I use the most, I have a multizone audio system and I cannot live without it, definitely.
March 29th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
At first glance I can tell this list is a bit inaccurate. 2 of the apps being reported as iPad only I already have and USE on my iPHONE. The iBooks and Netflix app both work great on my iPhone. I can’t vouch for the other 8 apps because I don’t have them and won’t bother looking for them.
January 29th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
“If you gave an Amazon Kindle to a loved one last Christmas, you have just gone from angel to idiot.” Really? Actually, YOU’RE the idiot. The entire reason the kindle was invented is because it is E-INK, and does not use an LCD screen, which can be harsh on the eyes. To say that this app is “kindle-killing” is extremely ignorant and shows the author’s lack of common sense.