Something called the iPad comes out in a few days, and I’m not quite sure what it is. It’s like a less powerful laptop, right? Hmm… Anyhow, Apple has published a lists of sites that are now 100 percent “iPad ready.” Anyone else looking forward to sites having giant “Works With iPad!” banners and buttons and whatnot?
Some big sites that officially “work” include CNN, the New York Times, and Sports Illustrated
Some big sites that are missing from the list: Google, YouTube, ESPN, Yahoo, and Facebook.
What does it take for a site to be “iPad ready”? Apple doesn’t really say beyond the fact that Safari supports the latest Web standard, including HTLM5, CSS3, and Javascript. Presumably any site that plays nice with Web standard—which you hope to happen all of the time anyway—should “work” with the iPad.
My initial, knee-jerk reaction was, “Oh, great, this is going to create some sort of Web schism.” Only it’s not, provided the only thing that makes a Web site “iPad ready” is that it supports open standards.
Supporting open Web standards is a Good Thing.
Flash-heavy Web sites need not apply, I suppose.