iPad – web designers worst nightmare came true
Posted by Daemon
Apple introduced iPad. The world is in shock. In shock of how much it sucks. It does not cure cancer on command, and it fails to live up to the silly expectations people had.
But, what people do, and that's wrong, is compare it to iPhone or Notebook. The iPad is none of that. It is new product targeted at specific market. That market is not you and me, since you are here reading this blog located on web developer company. iPad target are people who are casual users that use electronics and gadgets in a casual mode, focusing on one thing at a time - view little YouTube, read few pages of a book, check what's new on their favourite website, and just turn the damned thing off. iPad is an awesome thing if you were your father/mother. It's like an out-of-the-box computer that our parents can actually use!
Looking from that perspective, if you can downshift into this mindset - iPad is AWESOME. Of course, there are some things that it misses to make it supreme consumer toy (such as camera to take photos, true GPS) but remember iPhone - all that will come in second or third generation. Apple wants your cash too, they are not here just to make the world a better place.
For us, the powerusers that chill out from time to time, one thing is missing. This:
Give us ONE "window" to run native iPhone apps that floats above iPad. Just one. I do not ask for more. This way I could check Tweetie, or Things to-do list, or use the bloody calculator without the need to exit main app I am using. Just one!!!
But, I got some bad news with this as well, from the developers point of view.
iPad has a resolution of 1024x768. This resolution is here to stay, they will not increase it in second generation. The Apps developers will build in this year will fit this resolution, and as with iPhone, once Apps are massively developed for this resolution, it would just be bad to introduce bigger/different resolution.
And what that means for us, website developers? We are back to square one with our wishes for increased monitor resolutions. All of the developers were looking into Google Analytics for the past 3 years, and watching the 1024x768 resolution go down, as 1280 increased. We were just waiting for the point to start thinking bigger. And now, BAM on the head, we cannot any more. For the next 5 years, if iPad explodes into general population, all of our sites will have to be created to be optimized for 1024 resolution. Even if desktop monitors go to million by million, we will need to deploy our websites onto iPad.
Have a nice future, you silly web designers.
January 28th, 2010 at 15:40
So you think that website wider than 1024 or 768 will show horizontal bar? Do you have an iphone? what is its resolution? is nivas site shown 1:1 or scaled down to meet screen size, and than you zoom in to desired level?
web designers wont be affected with size of the screen because of the way people use iphone or ipad browser, zoom in and out, slide left or right…
And one more thing, please people check before you call A-GPS not real GPS. it is real and even faster than original GPS. The thing that i dont like and whine is a fact that wifi model doesnt have gps only 3g…
January 28th, 2010 at 16:30
Not only that, when you hold the device upright, our maximum width will be 768 pixels!
We’ll be back to the pre-800-pixel-width days. Yes, Safari will resize the site, but the native width will still be 768 pixels.
Not all is lost though, I’m excited about creating optimized sites for this device, as well as native apps, just because of the new user experience.
January 28th, 2010 at 17:20
@kviksilver – RESIZED website is not the same as website built exactly to fit the resolution. Just because iPhone/iPad can forcefully shrink and render website does not mean that is a good thing.
January 28th, 2010 at 17:21
@leo – Indeed. Constraints make designers work better. But, you must agree that some part of you wanted to build a 1280 website in 2010 or 2011!
January 28th, 2010 at 17:45
optimize for 800×600 the best resolution ever ™
February 1st, 2010 at 21:55
i dont think that iPad will be so adopted and used that you wuld have to worry about that. again, 1024 is here to stay iPad or not.
March 3rd, 2010 at 19:33
I have to disappoint. The iPad (like the iPhone and the iPod touch) resize and adapt the website for his display.
What do you think? That for the iPhone we should design a website 320×480? It automatically and perfectly resize any website.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:10
Yes otozuz, people already develop websites optimized for iPhone and are 320 pixels wide. Google for them, you will be surprised.
June 5th, 2010 at 00:16
While I can see that there is a constraint I don’t see it as an issue because of the obvious resizing as stated. Anyone using a portable device acknowledges that and has no problem with it.
More importantly, it might yet create a new wave of better web developers (because the majority are terrible) as they start developing rich content web app’s designed for iPhone/iPad users, possibly out of necessity. It will also bring about a wave of designers who may one day understand UI design (because they are working such screen space constraints).
June 15th, 2010 at 18:09
Its just a giant iphone bahhh! Sucks more energy!
August 3rd, 2010 at 16:44
i think if you build in wordpress there is a plugin that will detect if you are on an ipad and adjust the screen resolution