Tablets dominate sales in 2013 - adapt or die

Mobile tipping point is here

[incrediBILL]

[bgr.com...]

Low-cost tablets like the Google (GOOG) Nexus 7 and Samsung’s (005930) upcoming 7-inch slate are expected to drive tablet shipments to a record 145 million units this year.

This doesn't mean desktops are dead, it means tablets are now a force to be reckoned with. This could easily be an extinction level event for Luddite webmasters that don't embrace mobile with responsive designs (recommended mobile method by Google), HTML 5, AJAX, etc.

[developers.google.com...]

Google recommends webmasters follow the industry best practice of using responsive web design, namely serving the same HTML for all devices and using only CSS media queries to decide the rendering on each device.

Many here on WebmasterWorld still dismiss Twitter, Facebook, G+, etc. while millions of people daily use their Twitter, Facebook or G+ account to login to many apps and websites. Let me be clear, the masses don't care about your opinions, they care about simplicity and ease of use. When someone is on a mobile device keyboard input may be more difficult, unless it's docked with a keyboard, so that "Login with Facebook, Twitter or G+" button is really appealing.

I'd suspect mobile search also returns mobile friendly sites ahead of the rest because the site is more relevant to the device being used to search.

Serious discussions on topics like OAuth, responsive design, twitter cards, twitter bootstrap, FBML and other mobile oriented technologies are long overdue.

2013 - The year to adapt to mobile or die.

[SevenCubed]

This could easily be an extinction level event for Luddite webmasters that don't embrace mobile with responsive designs (recommended mobile method by Google), HTML 5, AJAX, etc.

I don't know if it has reached the extinction level yet because many browsers still aren't ready for full HTML5 functionality but surely we can't be too far.

Google recommends webmasters follow the industry best practice of using responsive web design, namely serving the same HTML for all devices and using only CSS media queries to decide the rendering on each device.

Agree 100% and it's not difficult to adapt to either. Just take your standard 960px wide desktop version, chop it in 2 horizontally to 480px and you now have a standard smartphone width in landscape mode. From there it only takes minor adjustments primarily to the header and footer section via CSS. The main body content in many cases won't need to change very much if at all. The whole design just needs to collapse vertically for mobile.

When someone is on a mobile device keyboard input may be more difficult, unless it's docked with a keyboard, so that "Login with Facebook, Twitter or G+" button is really appealing.

Tough luck, sucks to be them.

I'd suspect mobile search also returns mobile friendly sites ahead of the rest because the site is more relevant to the device being used to search.

Not yet from the stats that I have access to. Some of the most mobile unfriendly sites still stay ahead of ones that score a 99/100 on google's "mobile user experience" scale. And that's for query specific, I've tried it.

Serious discussions on topics like OAuth, responsive design, twitter cards, twitter bootstrap, FBML and other mobile oriented technologies are long overdue.

Yep.

2013 - The year to adapt to mobile or die.

Nope, not yet, I think there is still another year of wiggle room. But, none the less I'm not waiting. I'm already making my boilerplates. Next site I do is going to be 100% responsive for all viewport sizes.

[incrediBILL]

Tough luck, sucks to be them.

That's easy enough to say as you watch people like me, and millions just like me, bounce off your site when it comes to registration and login if needed.

I didn't use to do the FB or Twitter logins, but it's such a drag to create a new account on a phone that I'll easily surrender to the LOGIN WITH FACEBOOK button.

I know a lot of people dislike that but they appear to be in the minority and the longer you spend using those mobile devices the convenience and speed alone will eventually overpower your reservations about doing it.

[lawman]

I bought a Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 4G earlier last year. Used it like crazy until i got a Galazy S3 4G smart phone. Now I rarely use the Tab.

[lucy24]

:: drifting off to make World's Most Basic Change: @media rule to set different page margins depending on general type of UA ::

[SevenCubed]

That's easy enough to say as you watch people like me, and millions just like me, bounce off your site when it comes to registration and login if needed.

That's fine. I have no problem with that. It assures me that I will have some leisure time left in my day and won't be swamped to the point of existing simply to sell a product or service. I only need "just enough", not all of it. Other sites offering the same service will benefit in the sharing of the eyeballs that will bounce off my site.

Mobile devices are simply devices of convenience to supplement laptops or desktops. People who don't understand that very basic concept probably live in a very high consumer society driven by an instant gratification mentality.

Mobile is great for things like, obviously phone calls, checking maps for directions, public transit info, etc...

People that have a healthy balance of work and leisure will have no problem waiting until they get home on their laptops or desktops for their product purchases.

It's only marketers in overly industrialized countries that want to chase people right into their graves that think it's an adapt or die situation.