Barnes & Noble App Legitimizes iPad

So Barnes & Noble is getting ready to release an app for Apples iPad, according to Information Week's website.

The link above states that B&N's app will be available around April 3, just in time for the arrival of pre-ordered iPad's at the doorsteps of eager Apple customers.

This development legitimizes the viability of the iPad as a competitive e-reader platform.  Interestingly enough, Information Week speculates that Amazon is getting ready to jump into the game also.

With reports speculating that Apple received 120,000 pre-release orders over the weekend, it looks like the iPad could very well be the game changer.

For Barnes & Noble and Amazon to jump into the app game for iPad is an acknowledgement that there is money to be made on this new platform.Are B&N and Amazon raising the white flag to iPad by releasing an app? Hardly. 

The Nook and Kindle both seem to be building their own base. At a lower cost, and with accessibility to the actual content, it looks like both companies are making the bet that they can co-exist with iPad, while still driving revenue through their own proprietary platforms.  Both companies offer applications (and are generating additional revenue) for iPod Touch and the iPhone already. This seems like a logical extention.

It'll be interesting to see how long Apple allows this leveraging of the iPad to occur. If the Apple ebook store doesn't take off in the first six months, look for the spigot to be shut down for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other e-reader competitors.