Thursday, March 25, 2010, 03:50 pm

Apple approves iPad apps, developers choose 'HD,' 'XL' names

By AppleInsider Staff

With the iPad just over a week away from release, Apple has begun approving applications for the App Store, and developers are distinguishing their iPad-specific applications as "HD" or XL" versions.

Some iPad applications have already been approved by Apple and are listed in the Web-based iTunes Preview list of App Store software, as first discovered by PadGadget. Developers have chosen to label their iPad applications as "HD" or "XL" versions to distinguish them from their iPhone and iPod touch counterparts.

But iPhone and iPod touch users will not be able to access iPad applications from those devices, as the new software is specifically written for the 9.7-inch display on Apple's forthcoming hardware.

Titles discovered so far are games, including Plants vs. Zombies HD, Flight Control HD, Labyrinth 2 HD and Worms HD.

Last week, Apple began accepting submissions for iPad applications on the App Store. The appearance of software in iTunes Preview would suggest that they were whisked through the approval process in under a week.

In addition to iPad-specific software, the new device will be able to run virtually all of the existing App Store software, which has more than 150,000 applications. The Wi-Fi-only version of the hardware will go on sale in the U.S. on April 3.