how will the iPad effect my website?

By: Michael Lipe, creative director, April 06, 2010

Apple has now officially launched the new, and highly anticipated iPad. And while for the vast majority of users, it is (currently) nothing more than an oversize iPod touch, the iPad does signal some important changes in online marketing and accessibility.

 

It is my gut feeling that in a couple of years, we will look back at the 1st generation iPad and laugh. And that is not because the iPad is not an amazing device (becuase it is), but when we look back on the progression of tablet-based mobility computing over the next several years, we will good a chuckle over what the limitiation of this first-generation iPad was released with. Much like, we all have that first version of the iPod buried somewhere in our dresser, the same will likely be true with this one.

Essentially, there is nothing terribly revolutionary with this particular device, as the vast majority of its wow factor comes just from the size of the display, and the slick style that Apple is so well known for. This was all introduced several years ago with the release of the iPhone, and the iPad, while doing many new things, has leveraged much of what worked so well in the iPhone interface, and repackaged it for this application.

The thing that was so revolutionary about the iPhone was that when you surfer the web, you were actually surfing the web. Not some stripped down, text based version of the web. Which put the power of true web mobility in your hand in a way that had never been experienced before. The iPad takes this to the next level, as with the enlarged screen size, the web browsing experience becomes significantly more attainable in a mobility product. But there are some key things to remember about viewing websites on the iPad, which also correspond to how you should go about building your website (or who you have building your website).

 

NO FLASH COMPATABILITY

This is a significant factor, as there are many websites out there, most which were developed 3-4 years ago, that are extremely flash-heavy, if not entirely built on Flash. Very rarely have we developed entire sites in Flash, and the use of Flash is becoming less and less of a popular commodity, as we have found that it is best used an enhancement or for a specific interactive feature, rather than as the primary development platform. Flash is great at doing a lot of things, but with the release of the iPad, as it was with the iPhone (and other smart phone devices), we further underscore the importance of phasing out the dependency of Flash as a primary means of delivering content.

This effects a lot of things like Photo Galleries, Video Players and the dreaded “Flash Intro” or “Splash Page”. If your website has these kinds of things, it is certain that users who view your site on the iPad will miss out on a lot of content. HTML5 video is becoming a useful tool for delivering video, but this will be a signifncant change to how future multimedia elements are developed for web consumption.

 

SCREEN RESOLULTION

The iPad uses the popular Safari browser and is based off of a 1024x768 screen resolution. Maxon Media designs all of our sites to be compatiable with this size, so this will not be an issue for any of our clients, but it could be an issue for others. And with the multi-touch options, things like scaling in and out will allow users to view content at their desired size, so some of those issues that have been of higher importance in the past will be minimized to some degree.

 

BUILT FOR SPEED

With its built in Wi-Fi compatiability, the iPad will be able to tap into the wireless networks at home and at the office. But the vast majority of the mobile web browsing experience will continue to rely on 3G network accessibility, which also means your websites need to be lean and mean. Content needs to load fast, and needs to perform well, even on a less than desirable bandwidth rate.

 

RELEVANCY IS KING

It is has been often said that “content is king” and while that remains true, the primary use of the mobile web experience is to acquire not just content, but relevant content. Things like blogs, RSS feeds, and customizable web interfaces are going to become the requirment for a satisfying web experience. If the content on your site is not interesting, then the user has reason is dwell on it away from home or the office. Making and keeping your site relevant is the bottom line of successfully reaching a mobile web audience.

 

There are a lot more things to be said, and I can’t wait to get my iPad to start experiencing some of the cool new gadgets is has to offer. I am concerned about the typing interface, the lack of multi-taksing between apps, and the general and specific business practical uses for it, at least in this 1st generation release. But, I am confident that Apple will continue to innovate with this new platform, and the wave of tablet-based mobility computing will become the norm within the next few years.