The New iPad is a boon for its users with it’s high resolution retina display; and the unique adjective used to describe this amazing facet of the device “resolutionary” is absolutely spot on. But, what makes a device like the iPad popular amongst its users is the quality of the apps that can be used on it. Yes, if the apps are good, the device works for the users, otherwise it doesn’t. This is the truth of the matter, whatever anyone wants to say to the contrary.
Make no mistake, the New iPad is a wonderful device, but it is the apps that breathe life into it. But, this has presented developers with a new problem – Developing apps that make full use of the high resolution of the iPad, to give users a lifelike user experience. Users expect stunning visual experience while using their New iPad and don’t expect any compromises, when it comes to the visuality of the content. So, developers either need to shape up or ship out.
So, here are a few tips that will help designers and developers shape up to the challenges posed by the absolutely brilliant visual capabilities of the New iPad.
Adopt the Top to Bottom Approach
In the age of the ‘Multi-Device Compatability’, there is a tendency of developers to first begin developing for low resolution devices and then move on to high resolution devices. The approach is from bottom to top, and more like a rite of passage. It’s almost like the developers are saying to themselves. “Let me get this level right, and I will move on to the next level”. All in all, it’s not the wrong approach, but when it comes to the New iPad and application development for it, such an approach won’t pay rich dividends as just porting an existing solution onto the iPad won’t do. You will need to adopt a specific approach towards iPad development. This will help you make use of the iPad and the iOS in a manner such that you are able to develop apps that are worthy of the high resolution offered by the New iPad.
So, if you want to develop an app for the New iPad, it’s advisable that you begin your development efforts from the iPad itself.
Your Fonts are Still Important
There are people who believe that web fonts are only important in the case of websites or mobile websites. But this is where they are wrong, as the use of web fonts is also important in mobile apps, especially those developed for high resolution devices like the New iPad. The great thing about these fonts is that a designer doesn’t need to go through the long drawn out process of rendering the fonts, first as an image to use them. They can render the text directly within the browser, which essentially allows them to load faster; this is an essential requirement in devices that have a high-resolution screen.
In point of fact, enterprising iPad app developers can get innovative with web fonts and give them a sort of personal touch in order to customize them. They can download a huge collection of web fonts and embellish them with their own personalized design elements, for e.g., shading or masks, to convert a web font into a piece of art.
Utilize the Gaming Tactics
There are game designers who have made it their business to offer gaming enthusiasts high resolution gaming experiences, no matter what the device used. They are adept at working within the limitations of a particular mobile OS and the confines of the hardware capabilities of mobile devices. So, you need to take your cue from them. Think of your application as an offshoot of gaming technology, as far as their high resolution graphics are concerned. Take for example the case of specific development techniques that gaming developers already use, like sprite maps, or even texture maps; this is the kind of technology that you can use to create apps that use multiple images on a single layer image. This brings forth an almost life like visual quality, when it comes to the UI and features of the iPad app. This is just one of the many different ways that will allow you to create apps that are worthy of the New iPad, and which are appreciated by the end users as well.
These are just three of the many different ways in which you can create content that is ready for the high resolution display of the iPad. You also need to understand that creating such apps is a progressive process and you won’t become a master of it, quickly. You will need to learn, and relearn the various tips and techniques to gain some sort of expertise on it.