Twitter Rolls Out HTML5 Version Of Twitter.com For iPad
Because the stream of realtime palaver that is Twitter needed even more platforms to be consumed on even more devices, the company has just announced that it has started to roll out its HTML5-based Twitter.com for iPad …
Context & Ripple Effects
Twitter shipped a dedicated native iPad app in September 2010, so this HTML5 build of Twitter.com is the company adding a browser-based second path to the same tablet rather than filling a gap — iPad users can now get the full web client without installing anything. The move lands in a crowded stretch for the company: within weeks it had confirmed Jack Dorsey's product-organization cuts and new sales-and-marketing executive hires, confirmed this week's forced upgrade of Old Twitter users to New Twitter, and was reported (unconfirmed) to be closing a two-stage $800M round.
The HTML5 angle also has precedent outside Twitter — Google Reader added HTML5 support back in May 2010 — reflecting how web publishers were treating the standard as the way to deliver app-like experiences on tablets as iPad traffic grew.
First-order effects
- iPad owners can use the full Twitter.com experience in the browser immediately, no App Store update required, while the native app remains the other entry point.
- The rollout coincides with Twitter forcing all remaining Old Twitter users onto the New Twitter interface this week, consolidating everyone on one redesigned product surface.
Second-order effects
- With Twitter's developer ecosystem having passed one million registered applications in July 2011, an HTML5 web client gives third-party builders one more consistent rendering surface to target alongside the native APIs.
- Rivals watching tablet engagement — Twitter trailed only LinkedIn and Myspace in U.S. social traffic as of early July — face pressure to match app-like web experiences on the iPad without building per-device natives.
Third-order effects
- If HTML5 proves sufficient for a realtime product like Twitter on tablets, consumer web companies can serve new device categories from a single codebase, weakening the assumption that every platform needs its own native client — though native apps' performance edge keeps both tracks alive.
The trend: Consumer web services are adopting HTML5 as a fast-follow layer for reaching tablets like the iPad without waiting on per-device native development cycles.