Apps for iPhone transferable to iPad?

[slipper]

I was thinking about purchasing an iPad 2. I currently own an iPhone 4 and it has around $100 in purchased apps. Would these apps transfer to the iPad? Some of them are games such as Star Front which are almost unplayable on the iPhone due to its screen size but would play very well on the iPad.

 

[Don Kosak]

Yup.

All the iPhone and iPod Touch apps under your iTunes account will be usable on your iPad.

 

[Phil A.]

Yup.

All the iPhone and iPod Touch apps under your iTunes account will be usable on your iPad.

It depends on your definition of usable: It they are not iPad optimised apps (they show with a + against them in the iTunes store) then they will run but either in a tiny window in the middle of the screen or in a horrible pixel-doubled abomination.
Personally, I absolutely hate iPhone apps on the iPad and the only one I use is Spotify. It grates every time I use it, but at least I just start it up and leave it in the background; I can't imagine how annoying it would be to run an iPhone app for a long time on an iPad

 

[itsmemuffins]

Don't the iP4 optimised apps run at 640x960?

 

[matrix07]

It depends on your definition of usable: It they are not iPad optimised apps (they show with a + against them in the iTunes store) then they will run but either in a tiny window in the middle of the screen or in a horrible pixel-doubled abomination.

What tiny? iPhone now has just a marginally smaller resolution than iPad. Still stuck in 2009?

 

[Phil A.]

Don't the iP4 optimised apps run at 640x960?

No - they run at the old 320 x 480 resolution

What tiny? iPhone now has just a marginally smaller resolution than iPad. Still stuck in 2009?

It may have, but iPhone apps don't run at that resolution on the iPad: they run at 320 x 480. Please check your facts before making sarcastic comments

Just in case you still don't believe me, here are three screenshots of Spotify (an iPhone optimised application with Retina Display support)
The first is on the iPad at "normal" size, the second at 2x size. The black border is the rest of the iPad screen. The last one is from my iPhone 4

As I said before, iPhone apps look terrible on the iPad...

(I believe there is a solution for jailbroken iPads to use the full resolution but there is no jailbreak for iOS 4.3 yet)

 

[matrix07]

It may have, but iPhone apps don't run at that resolution on the iPad: they run at 320 x 480. Please check your facts before making sarcastic comments

Just in case you still don't believe me, here are three screenshots of Spotify (an iPhone optimised application with Retina Display support)
The first is on the iPad at "normal" size, the second at 2x size. The black border is the rest of the iPad screen. The last one is from my iPhone 4

As I said before, iPhone apps look terrible on the iPad...

(I believe there is a solution for jailbroken iPads to use the full resolution but there is no jailbreak for iOS 4.3 yet)

Wow. Cool story bro.

 

[itsmemuffins]

No - they run at the old 320 x 480 resolution



It may have, but iPhone apps don't run at that resolution on the iPad: they run at 320 x 480. Please check your facts before making sarcastic comments

Just in case you still don't believe me, here are three screenshots of Spotify (an iPhone optimised application with Retina Display support)
The first is on the iPad at "normal" size, the second at 2x size. The black border is the rest of the iPad screen. The last one is from my iPhone 4

As I said before, iPhone apps look terrible on the iPad...

(I believe there is a solution for jailbroken iPads to use the full resolution but there is no jailbreak for iOS 4.3 yet)

Wow

Why? Why would Apple do this?

 

[deeddawg]

Why? Why would Apple do this?

(1) "encourage" app developers to create ipad specific versions rather than letting the iphone4 version stand in lieu of making a new version
(2) "encourage" app buyers to purchase said ipad specific versions
(3) Put more money into Apple's pockets

 

[itsmemuffins]

(1) "encourage" app developers to create ipad specific versions rather than letting the iphone4 version stand in lieu of making a new version
(2) "encourage" app buyers to purchase said ipad specific versions
(3) Put more money into Apple's pockets

That doesn't make sense, they have the universal apps.

 

[deeddawg]

That doesn't make sense, they have the universal apps.

Universal app == an app that include both iphone and ipad versions under one cover.

Fits the model as it is a version that is specifically adapted to the ipad and not just running the iphone4 interface. (at least thats the case on the universal apps I have).

 

[itsmemuffins]

Universal app == an app that include both iphone and ipad versions under one cover.

Fits the model as it is a version that is specifically adapted to the ipad and not just running the iphone4 interface. (at least thats the case on the universal apps I have).

Exactly.

That's why I don't understand why Apple would deny iP4 optimised apps to run at 640x960 on the iPad.

 

[deeddawg]

Exactly.

That's why I don't understand why Apple would deny iP4 optimised apps to run at 640x960 on the iPad.

Didn't I just answer this?

Because allowing such would remove a big incentive for app developers to make ipad specific versions, whether as separate apps or universal.