I bought an iPad a few weeks ago and it has quickly become my web surfing device of choice when I'm away from the office. I've been somewhat surprised by the lack of functionality/usability of otherwise very well designed sites from very respected web design firms. What gives?
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Websites on iPad
- Thread starter SqueeGee
- Start date
The Vector Doctor
Chief Bezier Manipulator
Maybe they were designed with flash. Flash is not supported and may never be supported by the ipad. A known issue
Maybe you can elaborate more
Maybe you can elaborate more
Sorry. I should have.
Is it a deliberate/calculated decision that web designers are making to include features that will be functional on Flash enabled devices while knowing full well that these sites will be incomplete on devices like iPads? Is it ignorance, a game of chicken with the client's success at risk or something else that I'm missing?
Kevin-shopVOX
New Member
I think it's just a matter of what the designer is used to and hasn't adapted to a "possible" shift in the user interface. It is hard to say if they will need to as well. Android devices play Flash and it's the worlds most popular mobile OS and will soon be that way for tablets as well. You can easily jailbreak ( I highly recommend it for an iPad) your iOS device to improve the experience which includes the ability to play flash. So I wouldn't be surprised if that becomes a standard feature for iOS devices if only to give them the ability to say they can play flash as well yet still have a better designed device to view it on.
When I design I avoid flash like the plague. I try and educate clients about content over the bling. In fact I even like the fact that some sites don't work in the iPad as it's easy to sell a different style (wordpress cms for me) by going "see it doesn't even work on this". The client almost immediately wants to go in a different direction.
However the designers should be making better decisions for their clients. If the want a flash movie, figure out how covert it to html5 so the site works anywhere don't just say...eh I'm just going to do it the way I know how...screw making it work for every device.
When I design I avoid flash like the plague. I try and educate clients about content over the bling. In fact I even like the fact that some sites don't work in the iPad as it's easy to sell a different style (wordpress cms for me) by going "see it doesn't even work on this". The client almost immediately wants to go in a different direction.
However the designers should be making better decisions for their clients. If the want a flash movie, figure out how covert it to html5 so the site works anywhere don't just say...eh I'm just going to do it the way I know how...screw making it work for every device.
You don't even need to jailbreak now. Just download the Skyfire Web Browser app (It's $2.99 at itunes) and it allows you to view/watch flash sites.
The Vector Doctor
Chief Bezier Manipulator
Remember the ipad is a new device. Most of the websites you are speaking of likely were developed before the ipad. It is an important device and its' success is actually forcing many sites to offer an ipad enabled version of their site. Either through the elimination of flash or by converting to html5 content. Not everyone wants to concede yet and are willing to leave well enough alone. It can be very expensive to make these changes.
Good or bad, apple and Steve Jobs do have a tremendous amount of influence. They were one of the first to eliminate floppy disks from all computers. Serial ports, parallel ports, scsi all eliminated in favor of usb and firewire. Made many users upset they could not use certain peripherals/media. Now, very few computers have these if at all. Then no flash on phones/ipads and they were told this was a failure/weakness. Well that does not seem to be affecting sales too much. Now websites are adapting by eliminating flash or offering simultaneous pages that work with and without. And just this past week they eliminated optical disks (dvd/cdr) from their Mac Mini to join the MB Air.
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Jim Doggett
New Member
Agreed. Also forms in mobile browsers is a problem, often, if the site is poorly programmed for all browsers and smart phones, etc.
Back to Flash. Lame from a user standpoint, IMO. Too much glitz and not enough here it is / click to get it. Users (we too) just want a well designed / configured site with solid, appealing content, that works in every browser. Plus consider if you look at the top 100 grossing / visited Web sites, and then try to find Flash; you won't.
And of course, iPad, Opera Mini, Android Browser, Blackberry Browser, etc, etc. all get what you're trying to deliver to people, when you can the Flashy nonsense, IMHO :^)
Food for thought when doing our sites, I think
CES020
New Member
Do you think it's good advice to be telling people to do something to their device that will void the warranty and possibly get their account suspended?
ucmj22
New Member
+1
Joe Diaz
New Member
You could look at it another way: Is it the developers and designers fault for not predicting that a piece of hardware would be release without a feature pretty darn common on a lot of other devices that are great for browsing the net? Or is that hardware manufacturer's fault for not finding a way to including it?
Sure some people don't like flash. That much is clear. There are also some that do. Wouldn't it be great to have a device that can view the web in all it's entirety? Rather than pretend their shortcoming are instead some sort of mandate on how they think the web should be? Let the users decided what websites they like, I say. but give them the option to see it all.
It would be like a car manufacturer designing and building a car without air conditioning, then saying the sans-airco car is better because it now has less nobs on your dashboard to confuse you and the car conserves more fuel now.
Sure some people don't like flash. That much is clear. There are also some that do. Wouldn't it be great to have a device that can view the web in all it's entirety? Rather than pretend their shortcoming are instead some sort of mandate on how they think the web should be? Let the users decided what websites they like, I say. but give them the option to see it all.
It would be like a car manufacturer designing and building a car without air conditioning, then saying the sans-airco car is better because it now has less nobs on your dashboard to confuse you and the car conserves more fuel now.
Craig Sjoquist
New Member
What I think I'm learning off this is.. html5 ...is the way to design websites with in order for not only phones to see most everything also PC's / Mac's
I have been getting more people inquiring about my services and lately more from just phones not always seeing my website and I want to make it 100% visible on the phones and dial up viewers also. So is html5 the best ? as people have brought viewing ability's to my attention was either slow or none.
I have been getting more people inquiring about my services and lately more from just phones not always seeing my website and I want to make it 100% visible on the phones and dial up viewers also. So is html5 the best ? as people have brought viewing ability's to my attention was either slow or none.
Jon Aston
New Member
Squeegee:
I'm a proponent of using Wordpress software for building websites.
Wordpress is free, extremely versatile, easy to learn and (as a result) is insanely popular - now powering 50+ million websites worldwide.
Because Wordpress is open source software, coders around the globe all have access to it's source code. And because Wordpress is in such widespread use, thousands (if not tens of thousands) of coders around the globe are constantly developing "plugins": easy-to-implement add-ons that make Wordpress capable of some new functionality. The net result is that there isn't much you can't make a wordpress powered site do - including optimizing for iPads.
In addition to all that, Wordpress is extremely search friendly (especially with the right themes, and/or plugins) and is purpose built for content marketing - something I daresay no business can afford to ignore.
Flash websites are flashy.
I'm a proponent of using Wordpress software for building websites.
Wordpress is free, extremely versatile, easy to learn and (as a result) is insanely popular - now powering 50+ million websites worldwide.
Because Wordpress is open source software, coders around the globe all have access to it's source code. And because Wordpress is in such widespread use, thousands (if not tens of thousands) of coders around the globe are constantly developing "plugins": easy-to-implement add-ons that make Wordpress capable of some new functionality. The net result is that there isn't much you can't make a wordpress powered site do - including optimizing for iPads.
In addition to all that, Wordpress is extremely search friendly (especially with the right themes, and/or plugins) and is purpose built for content marketing - something I daresay no business can afford to ignore.
Flash websites are flashy.
ucmj22
New Member
if they end up selling more cars than anyone else, I'd say they did something right more than removing a knob. I would hardly equate flash's impact on the web the same as AC's impact on a vehicle, other than it's power drain.
FrankenSigns.biz
New Member
The iPad does not support Flash because Flash is a processor Hog. Apple won't support it because it can diminish the iPad experience by slowing web browsing. With millions upon millions of iPads, iPhones and iPod touches out there, Flash is on it's way out. If you or anyone you know has Flash on their website, convert it to HTML5 asap, because those millions of web surfers will never see it.
One HTML5 example is this:
http://mrdoob.com/projects/chromeexperiments/ball_pool/
The above example works on your PC and Apple computer or any Apple mobile device. Do a Google search "HTML5 animations" for more great examples.
HTML5 is not a processor hog and is the new standard. Get with the program and don't ignore millions of mobile web browsers.
One HTML5 example is this:
http://mrdoob.com/projects/chromeexperiments/ball_pool/
The above example works on your PC and Apple computer or any Apple mobile device. Do a Google search "HTML5 animations" for more great examples.
HTML5 is not a processor hog and is the new standard. Get with the program and don't ignore millions of mobile web browsers.
I've been using iphones since the first jailbreak and have NEVER heard of someone having their account suspended......
TheSnowman
New Member
Yea, I'm typing this from a jailbroke iPhone, and no suspension...nor have I heard of it.
Kevin-shopVOX
New Member
My bad...the nerd got the better of me. You are right though jail breaking or rooting devices is done at your own risk. If you do something like that you should always know how to revert to it's original manufacturer state to avoid any conflicts.
WildWestDesigns
Active Member
You run the risk of defrauding them by doing that. That isn't any different then putting a programmer and/or a/m intake on a vehicle reverting it back to stock and taking it in for warranty repairs and if they ask you if you have done this that or the other and saying "nope(or something along those lines)" and in good faith they do the repairs based on that. Now I do think they have to ask and you have to lie about it, but in my mind the mere fact of reverting it back to "stock" shows intent, but that's me.