Some apps work, others don't.
The 3G-enabled version of Apple's iPad went on sale this weekend, and some users quickly discovered something strange about streaming video.
As iLounge explained, iPad's preloaded YouTube app streamed videos at a noticeably lower resolution over 3G than over Wi-Fi.
Meanwhile, broadcaster ABC's iPad app refused to stream at all over 3G, prompting users to connect to a Wi-Fi network if they wanted to use the app.
Initial suspicion fell on Apple's operator partner AT&T, with speculation that it had ordered a block on video streaming over 3G to Apple's tablet.
However, the operator has pointed journalists back to Apple, implying that any block isn't its doing.
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Now iPhone site App Advice claims to have the answer, saying that Apple's developer agreement requires video streaming apps to include a lower quality of 64Kbps video for use "when network conditions demand it".
This might explain why YouTube and another app, Netflix, work over 3G for iPad, but ABC's app doesn't. A theory bolstered by the fact that a newly-released update to the ABC app now lets it stream over 3G.
