Some argue the iPad can replace most netbook and laptop computers because it can do almost everything that these devices do. Others argue that the iPad is just a blown up version of the iPod Touch and that its capabilities are therefore limited.

Yes, the iPad is a mobile device. And no, it’s not a computer, at least not a real one. We will go into this further below. If we have to decide, we at Sponsormob still feel that at this stage it makes more sense to send iPad users to mobile sites instead of regular web sites.

Here are our reasons why:

Screen size
Today most standard web pages are optimized for a minimum screen width of 1024 pixels. The iPad screen is just 640 pixels wide in landscape mode, 480 pixels in portrait mode. Even though the Safari browser on the iPad does a good job at fitting pages into the screen, one still needs to zoom in and out to surf the web. All this isn’t really an awesome user experience especially when you’re trying to market something.

Flash
Most web banners and even landing pages make heavy use of Adobe Flash which the iPad doesn’t support. Until banner ads and landing pages will switch over to HTML5 for animation and video, the mobile version is probably better.

Touchscreen
Some websites are hard to use without a mouse and a scrolling wheel. The Safari browser has difficulties with scrolling within DHTML layers. Plus, once you activate the on-screen keyboard you lose a good amount of the screen height too.

Connection speed
If the internet connection is provided not through WiFi but a mobile carrier, the connection speed might be a bit low. The user experience is ruined when loading pages with lots of images, videos or banner ads.

No file uploads
Since you don’t have access to the filesystem on an iPad you can’t upload any files on web pages. Safari simply disables these buttons.

No printing
The iPad doesn’t have a built-in support for printing. One can’t simply print a confirmation page of a regular web shop, for example.

Feel free to come over for a chat during these hours. If you would like to schedule a separate meeting please get in touch via the contact form on our website or arrange something directly by email or phone.

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a4uexpo is the finest affiliate marketing conference series for the UK and Europe. Attendance is dominated by affiliates and not by agencies. Matthew Wood and his team have put together an excellent agenda with outstanding speakers. Also there will be several parties and opportunities to get to know Munich.

Advertisers can talk to us about pushing their mobile offers. Furthermore we will explain to you how to give your iPhone and iPad applications a boost through advertising them on our network of publishers. If you are an affiliate, let us explain to you how you can expand your reach into the mobile web.

You will find us at booth # 5578 near the MobileMix Zone. Come by, talk to us, and pick up a free gift.

Also please feel free to pre-arrange meetings through our contact form.

At Sponsormob we have observed a clear trend in mobile downloads moving away from third-party content providers towards application stores run by device manufacturers. Famous examples are the Apple App Store, Google’s Android Market, and the Nokia Ovi Store. We are sure this trend will continue in the next years. So we are gearing up for the new way of content distribution to mobile devices.

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Haven’t had the time to catch up? We’ll be happy to meet you at our booth at ad:tech San Francisco on April 20–21, 2010!

We are pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas on January 17, 2010. You will be able to meet us at Meet Market table no. 27.

Of course we are going to be around on the other days of the event as well. In order to pre-arrange a meeting please contact us through our website or shoot us an email.