It’s Thursday, April 25, 2024 and 80°F in Austin, Texas

Websites on New iPad Retina Display

Is the screen resolution too good?

The New York Times has a very interesting article on the new iPad retina display, and how websites may not be able to take full advantage of the higher resolution for a variety of reasons:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/ipad-web-retina/

The new iPad resolution of 2,048-by-1,536 pixels allows more content to be viewable onscreen at one time, but at that resolution the text would likely be too small to read without zooming in to enlarge. And the article points out that the resolution of web photos included on websites is generally lower due to bandwidth and page load time concerns.

Websites generally don't include higher resolution images -- unless perhaps your website is devoted to photography, and even then, lower resolution comps are often used to protect copyrighted images from printing and duplication. Images taken on today's high resolution digital cameras are almost always sized down dramatically before loading them on websites. This ensures speedy loading of pages for a majority of web users.

Moreover, the majority of web users don't have monitors or screens set to resolutions even close to that of the new iPad retina display. Thus, unless you want to create and manage an entirely separate version of a website specifically for the new device, you are somewhat limited by the screen resolution settings of the lowest common denominator of your user base. A site designed to specifically fit the new iPad screen would likely extend beyond the screen viewing area for 95% of web users. The article quotes one web agency as saying they wouldn't focus on upscaling websites until they accounted for 20% of the user base.

The article compares the higher resolution of the new iPad to the advent of HDTV, and how it's taken quite a while for the content quality to even approach the capabilities of the devices used to view the content. It should be noted, that most of today's HDTVs use 1080p technology, but that outside of Blue-ray discs, content is generally delivered by cable providers at the somewhat lower 1080i or 720p quality levels (or lower) to maximize the amount of channels they can deliver on their lines. Similarly, home 3D content is extremely limited these days.

It always seems to take a while for the content to catch up to the technology.

AUSTIN

the most beautiful

My Top Ten Most Beautiful Pictures of Austin

I have spent years looking at pictures of Austin - and these are my favorites - the most outrageous beauties! I have added some comments about colors and life in Austin.

TECH ADVICE

stop them once and for all

How to End Annoying Robocalls - OMG a Solution!

Get rid of Robocalls. There is a free solution that really works - it's called Nomorobo and we love it.

WEB DESIGN

big breakthrough in color research

Want to Use the Viking Color Palette in Your Website?

Scientists have discovered the favorite Viking colors and now you can use them in your website!

WEB DESIGN

be prepared - choose wisely

Checklist for Law Firms Looking for a Web Designer

Here are some helpful hints and direction on the skills and knowledge your web designer should have.

WEB DESIGN

essentials for success

New Home Builder Website Checklist

Here's a list of the essentials you'll need to create your new home builder website. It's a list of all of the building blocks you'll need to make your site a success.

WEB DESIGN

max speed

7 Tips to Speed Up Your Website

Optimizing the speed that your website's content loads - will inevitably increase customer satisfaction, keep them on your website, reducing its bounce rate, and hopefully make them return visitors.

AUSTIN

save as many as you can!

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Move To Austin

With Austin making headlines and ending up on virtually every "Top 10 Best City for..." lists -- we now have about 150 people moving here daily!! We figured we should warn potential new residents of the hidden dangers of moving to Austin.