We have been doing some research this week into creating graphics for the new iPad retina display.

Essentially the retina display has a huge pixel density allowing really sharp graphics, the problem is that most 99.9% of website graphics are made for a quarter of the pixel density.

The new iPad (or iPad 3) has a display resolution of 2048 x 1536 and to achieve this each standard pixel size has been divided into 4 parts (see this on Apple’s website for more info – http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/)  The results are simply amazing and the clarity of graphics, photos and text are massively improved over a normal screen.

When looking at a website on the new iPad the text is often very clear but the new pixel density means the graphical elements often look a little blurry due to their lower resolution.

We have noticed this is the case for most websites, however some (such as Apple and Google) have set a Media Query to spot if a user is viewing their website on an iPad 3 and then serve up graphics with twice or four times the pixel density.

We have also done this for our website (but only the logo bar at the top of the page for now) and the results are good – a nice clear logo which only loses clarity if you really zoom in a long way.

So what did we do?

Firstly we needed to redo our logo bar in twice the resolution.  This was quite simple however we needed to re import the high-res graphics to make sure they didn’t blur as we doubled the pixels. (we use Fireworks but Photoshop or similar is fine)

Originally our logo bar at the top of the website was 980 x 95 so we set the canvas size to twice this – so 1960 x 190, then re imported each graphic until it was an exact replica of before but twice the size.

Then we needed to set a Media Query in our CSS to detect if a user is using an iPad 3 and then serve the new high-res graphic if they were – the below works well:

@media only screen and (min-device-width: 1536px) and (max-device-width: 2048px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) { // your CSS }

And the results?

Its hard to show your the true results unless you are using the new iPad but the image below if clicked shows the new clarity of the logo area (the other images need re-scaling too but hopefully you can see the difference)

This is going to be a lot of work for just a few users?

You might be thinking that there is no way you are going to be resizing every single graphic of your site just for these specific users? Well you are probably right for now, and if you look at Google for example they have only really re-sized their logo and Apple have re-sized a few of their glossy graphics (especially on the iPad section) and their navigation bar.  But if the rumors are true Apple’s next suite of products including the iMac, are likely to come with retina displays so these users are likely to grow very soon.

The new display allows a resolution of 2048-by-1536-pixel at 264 pixels per inch (ppi) which is astonishing considering the screen is just 9.7 inches (diagonal).

The result is an really clear and crisp display which has more pixels than an HDTV.

The screen shots below show some popular websites in their full resolution (click to download the full size (each file 1.5mb+ PNG format) (The camera is pretty good too – take a look at this photo of my pen pot!)

Danny Sullivan said “All done. Minor upgrade to Apple TV. Slight improvements to iPad. None of it matters. Cut loose the hordes to buy!” – this summed it up well for me.

The main new features are:

• ‘Retina’ display, A5X processor and 5MP camera
• LTE and voice dictation
• iOS 5.1 announced; brings Siri to Japan and Australia
• Apple TV updated

Essentially this is what the iPhone 4S was to the iPhone 4 but for the iPad (strange they didn’t call it the iPad 2S and opted for the far less catchy “The New iPad”!)

So what do these new features mean?

The screen is now a massive 2048 x 1536 pixels which is huge considering the physical screen size remains the same.

This means your photos and movies will appear clearer and apps and web browsers will be able to take advantage of the much bigger pixel area to cram even more in.

The processor is quicker and has 2 more cores (4 cores in total) and the camera is a vast improvement on the poor camera found on the iPad 2.

So will people buy it?

Yep in their droves! Apple do not need to do much in the way of “ground breaking work” to ensure their products fly off the shelves these days.

The product is better, and the new feature are nice, and yes they do need to keep the technology up to date to ensure they compete with the growing number of rival products, but this is not a massive move forward.

Looking to develop an iPad App – you are in the right place!  Find out more >>

For more information see the Apple website here >>

The Apple App Store has reached 25 billion downloads world wide since its launch in July 2008 (just 3 years ago!)

Apple decided to make a competition of the monumental achievement by rewarding the 25 billionth app downloader with a prize of $10,000 App Store gift card!.

The lucky winner was Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China and the app downloaded was an FREE app called “Where is my water?” from Disney. (Pity it couldn’t have been an app developed by a slightly less colossal corporate giant!?)

If you are looking to develop an App for your business we provide a range of services to help you do just that! >>

Apple has announced an event on 7 March at which the company is expected to launch its latest iPad tablet.

Invitations sent to journalists read: “We have something you really have to see. And touch.”

While not officially confirming the product’s launch, the message was accompanied by an image showing what looked to be an iPad touchscreen.

The iPad has certainly revolutionized the entire web browsing experience and the next version is expected to be an even more powerful device with a faster processor and a higher resolution display.

Here at Clicky Media™ we can build websites specifically for mobile/tablet devices, applications and a range of tablet/mobile advertising services.

Here at Clicky Media™ we’re keeping a close eye on the development so we can offer these to our clients as soon as they’re released.

The advertising side of Facebook has proved to be very profitable, with a lot of users now accessing Facebook via their mobiles, the next natural step was advertising on the mobile formats of the site.

Whilst it is not yet clear exactly how these ads will be utilised by Facebook, we’re already very excited about the possibility of new ventures with Facebook.

Keep an eye on our blog for more information as the ads are developed!

Sources – Mashable, New Media Age

If you are interested in using QR codes in your advertising speak to us today on 0845 257 1225 or find out more here >>

Facebook and other social networking sites are being credited for the huge growth in mobile internet usage over the past 18 months in the UK.

More and more frequently mobile handsets are prefitted with default settings for Facebook, the UK’s most popular Social Network. The popularity of Facebook for mobile is such that 3 launched the INQ1, dubbed by many as ‘The Facebook Phone’. In addition, the huge increase of ‘smart phones’ in the market such as the iPhone have also contributed to the rise of mobile internet usage.

A recent report conducted by CSS Insight confirmed that access to social networking sites was driving the usage and average time spent up of mobile internet services.

The report indicated that up to a third of young people (16 – 35 year olds) regularly access Facebook and Twitter on their mobile. By far the most popular in terms of usage is Facebook, which is used more often than Twitter and Bebo combined.

CCS Insight also predict that 44% of mobile users will access the internet via their handset by the end of 2009. Other recent predictions from Juniper also suggest that mobile application downloads will reach almost 20 billion by 2014.

Another study earlier this year by Lightspeed research for the Internet Advertising Bureau found that in the UK, 25% of social media site users were updating their profiles and pages through their mobile phones.

Source: BBC

Within a year, internet usage on mobiles has seen a sharp 50% rise and its social networks that are taking the credit.

The two markets have certainly had something in common over the past couple of years – popularity. The huge increase in social networking has caused knock-on effects in other markets with the latest being mobile media.

First date

With social networking becoming phenominally popular over the last 3 years, one thing capping increased usage was the inability to access accounts anywhere, anytime. Conveniently, over the same time period mobile technology in the market was ever improving, with mobile internet the key area. 3G internet and the introduction of Smart Phones (in particular the i-Phone) soon became a defining moment in the marriage of social networks and mobile media.

Over the past 12 months Smart phones have penetrated the public consumer market, no longer just the phone of business men and women using them for email on the move. Today over 75% of handsets have advanced browsers allowing users to browse at their own leisure.

With both medias growing at such a rate, there paths were bound to cross and overlap at some point. The mass reach of the mobile market, the increase in mobile browsing and the sheer popularity of social networking sites could mean only one thing…

Match made in heaven

Social networks responded to this opportunity, swiftly creating mobile versions of their sites for the new ‘on the move’ audience. As well as solving the ‘anytime, anywhere’ issue, social networks also achieved increased overall site usage. In fact an Ofcom report in November found that the number of consumers in the UK using social networks on mobiles reached 800,000 per day. Another recent report also showed a mobile media reach of 25% in the UK, with over 19 million active mobile internet users per month and social networking sites became the top reason for using mobiles as browsers.

The future

With both markets still ever increasing, the happy marriage between mobile media and social networks is set to continue. Expect new attempts to further monetize both platforms in the near future. This could certainly prove to be extremely effective if gone about correctly. Combining the targeting capabilities of social network marketing and high conversion rates recorded by mobile advertisers thus far, could prove to be extremely effective in marketing campaigns.

Both markets predict continued growth in both usage and advertising sales. It will certainly be interesting to see the outcome over the next 12 months…

If you are looking to run a mobile marketing campaign or social network marketing campaign Clicky Media™ have the expertise to plan, build and report on bespoke campigns built precisely for you. Call today on 0845 257 1225 for a quote >>

Looking to feature ads on mobile searchesusing Adwords? Your wait is now over! Google recently launched Adwords mobile options that will display ads on the iPhone and G1.

Both devices have web browsers that display full HTML. With 95% of all mobile searches conducted using the iPhone (according to a Mobile Search panel at SES Chicago), it certainly seems the best avenue for Google to take for now and will certainly generate interest and no doubt revenue. However, will this option be as successful in the future, especially with the huge increase in 3G compatible handsets and soon to be HTML browsers?

Source: SearchEngineWatch