iPad app developers focus on tablet games

A recent study conducted by mobile research company Flurry Analytics has found that 44 percent of apps currently being tested for the Apple iPad fall into the crowded games category.

Entertainment – which is typically defined as videos and novelty apps – clinched second place at 14 percent, followed by social networking programs at 7 percent.

The remainder of the apps were grouped into a number of additional categories, including sports, travel, lifestyle and utilities.

However, Douglas MacMillan of BusinessWeek noted that the data may not be a “comprehensive look” at all the apps that will be available for the iPad shortly after its launch. 

“[For example, the data] does not account for the apps being built on an iPad simulator, which Apple invites anyone to download for a nominal fee. Instead, the chart may offer a window into the types of applications Apple is most focused on getting perfect for the iPad’s release on April 3,” wrote MacMillan.

“While selecting which developers to ‘seed’ with actual iPad devices before launch, the company appears to have favored game makers, whose apps are generally more complex and may require that developers have a greater familiarity with the capabilities of the device.”