The idea driving Mobile Content on the Apple I Phone is that the notion that the Mobile Internet is the same as the regular Web. Small screen size is circumnavigated by means of the clever Apple Pinch interface.
This idea will work, to a certain extent, if you are in a wi-fi zone and you can browse using big bandwidth – but when you step outside and try browsing on the 2.5G network regular web pages will appear very slow.
Is the Mobile Web is the same as the Web?
Web pages on the regular internet now feature – dynamic content, flash, security scripts, embedded movies, etc. To view them you need processor power, memory and bandwidth – all of which a phone will have less of than a PC. (In Apple terms: all of which an I Phone will have less of than a G5). In that context the idea that the mobile web is the same as the Web seems far fetched.
To build sophisticated applications on Phones there is a mechanism available: It is called Java. Apple however say that to build applications for the I Phone you simply build web apps and launch a page. This further strains the processor, memory and bandwidth issues already described.
Basic guidelines for the design of Mobile Content.
Taking an opposite viewpoint for a moment, lets assume that Mobile Content is different from Web Content. The screen is smaller, the bandwidth is narrower, the user interface is more constrained, there is a user tendency to operate the mobile device with one hand. If these factors influence the design of Mobile Content then the following simple guidelines for the design of Mobile Content can be deduced:
- It should be more personal
- It should be simple
- It should be minimal
- It should be targeted and relevant to its viewer
Personal, Simple, Minimal, Relevant.
Also see EyeSpyFX Blog post: Apple I Phone
