Apple's iPad Pro is without a doubt in the spotlight as it touts powerful new software, exceptional features and a multitude of creative apps. However, quite a few developers have recently become vocal about the App Store's policies, which they believe may compel them to abandon making apps for the tablet.
One of the most significant concerns developers presently deal with is that the iPad Pro still operates on mobile software, regardless of being marketed to replace PCs and in spite of its processing power and capabilities.
Furthermore, developers seem gloomy about making lower earnings if they sell their apps via the App Store compared with how much they generate with apps made for the Mac. This concern, nevertheless, is not only a problem in iPad Pro but also the entire mobile software industry.
A few software developers also complain that they aren't allowed to offer free trials of the apps they developed. They are also unable to offer paid upgrades to their long-time users via the App Store.
For instance, Emanuel Sa and Pieter Omvlee, developers of the digital design app Sketch, are determined not to come up with an iPad Pro version of their app, despite receiving positive reviews and gaining recognition among professional graphic designers.
"Yes, it has a beautiful screen, but there's more to consider," says Sa. "Apps on iOS sell for unsustainably low prices due to the lack of trials."
He says they can't port Sketch to Apple's iPad Pro when they do not have a reasonable expectation of gaining profit.
Chris Lisco, developer of Capo for music production and instruction, is convinced that quite a few people are concerned about the "lack of upgrade pricing" for developers who want to continue adding to their apps as the years go by. To date, Capo is priced at $29.99 on the Mac App Store while the iOS version of the app has a price tag of $9.99.
iOS engineer Jared Sinclair thinks the iPad Pro has impressive performance, and he believes that the trouble in turning pro software into iPad Pro apps is mainly due to the App Store's policies and has nothing to do with engineering.
The iPad lineup is so. damn. sexy. It's a shame that it's held back by Apple's stubborn refusal to enable pro iOS apps to flourish.
— Jared Sinclair (@jaredsinclair) November 11, 2015
