Hey,

is it possible to build a partly transparent iPad-Icon?
I mean its saved as a png that has an alpha-channel.

I think I could really improve the 3D-Feeling of my Icon if I could include some "holes"

Did you try it in the simulator? I'm guessing there aren't any tricks to make this work, either Apple allows it or does not.

Given that Apple already bevels the corners of the icon whether it's requested or not, and that I've never seen a transparent icon, I'm guessing that you can't.

Well, maybe the idea is just not so popular?

I was under the impression that Glass tower 2: http://itunes.apple.com/de/app/glass-tow...40123?mt=8

had an icon with a substantial amount of transparent area.
Or do they just have a lot of black background, that has the same color as the default background on pre-3G devices?

I would suspect they faked it, and if you had a different background, it would be more apparent.

Here's an idea why transparency would not be allowed: A developer could technically make a completely transparent icon, and it would not fit in at all with iOS. You could argue apple can just deny the app, but why even let it be an issue?

I'm sure with some clever thinking, you can design your icon in a way that doesn't require transparency.

http://developer.apple.com/iphone/librar...lines.html

Quote:Important: Be sure to create an image that completely fills the 72 x 72 pixel area. If your image boundaries are smaller, or you use transparency to create “see-through” areas within it, your icon will appear to float on a black background with rounded corners. Icons like this are strongly discouraged on iPhone, but they are especially undesirable on iPad because people can display custom pictures on their Home screens. An icon with a visible black background looks very unattractive on an iPad Home screen