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If anything, Apple’s iPad should be the ultimate device for web browsing so it’s no wonder that Apple is heavily pitching the 9.7-inch multitouch gizmo as a fit for couch potatoes. Apple’s chief Steve Jobs didn’t spare superlatives to describe browsing aspect of the iPad at the official unveiling in January 2010.
Jobs sang praises for the iPad’s large screen, 1024×768 resolution – enough to display most web pages at full width – and multitouch technology that enables easy navigation. Here’s an excerpt of Jobs’ pitch:
What this device does is extraordinary. You can browse the web with it – it is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had. It’s phenomenal, to see a whole web page right in front of you and you can manipulate it with your fingers, right there – holding the Internet in your hands. It’s unbelievably great, an incredible experience – way better than a laptop and way better than a smartphone.
Of course, Apple’s speedy A4 processor that ticks inside the iPad and a large multitouch display are fine, but the key ingredient of an “extraordinary” web browsing experience is mobile Safari, re-tooled for the iPad’s higher pixel density.
We’ve only known about mobile Safari what Jobs showed us during the on-stage demo and what the iPad promo video revealed. But when Apple seeded its developers with iPhone SDK 3.2, the latest version of the programming tools that now support iPad development, folks simply ran a Safari build on the iPad Simulator. Mac blogs discovered a few interesting findings regarding Safari and here are some key highlights:
- Search engine choices include Google and Yahoo
- Search bar includes suggestions from the set search engine
- You can choose to always show the bookmarks bar
- Security settings include fraud warning, in addition to cookie and autofill settings
- You can block pop-ups and turn JavaScript on and off
- Supported videos (no Flash, sorry) plan inline
- You can add pages to homescreen, copy text and images, etc.
- You can have up to nine tabs open and switch between them by clicking an icon that brings tab thumbnails
