Apple tablet: Even open source developers love it

It's not because Steve Jobs has made himself a one-man Springsteen concert. It's because he makes developers money like no one else in business.

Appcelerator has conducted a survey among its 18,000 developers and found 90% plan to do something for the new Apple tablet within a year.

Appcelerator's flagship product is Titanium, a cross-platform open source development tool, so they have a stake in this. They want developers to know they can produce tablet apps with its open source tool.

But the trend is overwhelming, they write. The tablet is already the third-leading platform among their developers, even before its launch, following the iPhone and Android. They're especially looking forward to bundling their existing iPhone apps with programs for the tablet to increase sales.

Generally they look at the new device as an all-in-one PC, entertainment and communication device, the biggest thing since the IBM PC. Everything they have done for other devices can be re-purposed to the new platform, and re-sold, they figure, so bless Steve Jobs.

What is most interesting beyond that is how the tablet is seen as a serious business tool. The feature they are most anxious to get their hands on is the database, not the rumored new features like multi-touch gestures and the user interface.

Maybe Appcelerator should call itself Applecelerator? It does seem clear the tablet is going to have developers, developers, developers, developers.