What's 'Mobile' Mean? How Apple And The iPad Are Forcing The Debate

Is the iPad a mobile device? The question is no longer just a philosophical one, rather, it is now an important business issue facing content owners and developers -- thanks in large part to Apple, which has begun requiring that all applications work across the iPhone, iPod and iPad.

This new policy, which has been mostly overlooked until recently, could allow Apple to delete long-standing iPhone applications (think streaming-video services, like MobiTV, and mobile-game companies like Electronic Arts) that don't comply -- meaning that those apps could disappear from iTunes altogether. The problem is strictly about permissions, and not about the technical challenges of developing an iPad app.

Developers acknowledge that regardless of Apple's policy, they would have to negotiate licenses separately for the iPad, but Apple's ultimatum is forcing developers to dramatically speed up that process. With dozens of tablets coming to market by year's end, the issue is also not exclusive to the iPad.