Minecraft: Pocket Edition out on iOS today

The Pocket Edition of Minecraft, released a little while ago exclusively on Android, has been spotted on the New Zealand App Store today, which means the title will work its way around the world and arrive on the App Store in North America this evening. The full PC version of Minecraft (which has been selling millions of copies despite only being in a public beta this whole time) is due for an official release on Friday, so this release makes a lot of sense. When it does arrive on the App Store in this country, the universal title is expected to cost US$6.99.

Unfortunately, as you might imagine, the mobile version is a little less functional than the full PC version, with not all of the many, many blocks of the full game appearing in the mobile one. There are also some blocks that appear but can't be manipulated by the player. And there are only three blocks available on the game's "hotbar," rather than a full spectrum of blocks to use.

But if you've never played Minecraft (or are a huge Minecraft fan), the iOS version will probably be a nice sampler before the real thing. We'll keep an eye out on the store, and give it a shout when it finally appears stateside.