Official Apple Store app for iPad debuts on iOS

The iPad gained a bespoke Apple shopping experience Wednesday as a new Apple Store app designed specifically for the company's tablets hit the App Store, bringing a gesture-based user interface and a listing of trending products.

Apple Store for iPad, a separate download from its iPhone counterpart, has several unique features designed to take advantage of the increased screen real estate available on the iPad. The number of products shown on screen for a particular category, for example, can be changed by pinching in or out —  the most dense view removes text from the display entirely, leaving only a six-by-four grid of product photos.

Individual product detail pages utilize a split pane view similar to that found in the iPad-based smart displays in Apple's retail stores. Customers can purchase and customize products directly from the app, including specifying engraving for iPads and iPods and designating a purchase for in-store Personal Pickup.

Other iPad-only additions include a new "Now Trending" section which shows a dynamic listing of currently-popular products based on what users buy, share socially, or review, and a map view for the app's retail store finder that plots area locations on an overhead map, which can also be overlaid with availability information for specific products.

Apple Store for iPad is available now as a free, 22-megabyte download from the App Store.