As the news that Apple has completely sold out of their new iPad 4g stock is hitting the wire – the real story is that tablets will replace the traditional desktop personal computer by 2015. But as website designers – how does the success of the tablet change how we market businesses online?
We’ve recently posed the question – to optimize websites or build responsive designs? While responsive design is intriguing, I don’t believe it will become standard practice until there is certain market dominance by the tablet. As optimizing websites for the tablet becomes increasingly more accessible by designers – converting sites into apps may be the answer.
It’s eerily similar to the discussions between VHS and Beta – the former being the clear winner in terms of quality. Vinyl or CD’s – although vinyl is making a comeback, I’m still not finding turntables within my price range – and collecting MP3’s at $0.99 a piece is like a really awesome lay-a-way plan.
So while developing responsive design is clearly the technical choice – the expense could be better used to optimize your site and convert that optimized site into a functioning app. That’s how tablet dominance will change web design forever – it will hasten the reality that the traditional website will begin to morph to more tablet friendly apps.