Retina display revolution
When Apple introduced the retina display, we found out that 960×640 pixels is a nice resolution for a small, 3.5 inch screen and decided to embrace it right away. The retina iPad didn’t come this year, so when designing for mobile devices we’re still lower than 1280 x 800 pixels, with the iPad being 1024×768.
Is Retina not enough?
Apparently though Toshiba is planning to change that and introduce a 498 ppi, 6″ screen sometime in the near future. I don’t really see a reason (maybe I’d have to see the screen live to notice if there’s any difference), but isn’t retina display about high enough ppi, so the eye can’t distinguish the pixels? So why making anything higher than 320/360 ppi at all? The only thing that comes to mind is – to be “better” than apple on billboards and in ads. Well if the trend catches on, or if the iPad gets retina display, we’ll be designing for mobile at 2,560 x 1,600, which is mind blowing because a couple of years ago that resolution wasn’t even in high end desktop computers (and it’s still rare in most desktops).
So what’s next?
That may actually lead to move digital design a little bit closer to print design – having a resolution that is almost pixel-independent and really looks like a fine print will encourage new ideas for design. Exciting times ahead!
Web 1.0 was all about creating content – articles, news topics, how to’s – you name it. Websites were hubs of information rather than a site with videos od a dog on a skateboard. Then the revolution came and the main focus on the web shifted from articles to people. Web 2.0 was all about being social online. And people loved it! Sure it’s counter-productive most of the time, but how convenient, right? You can now see updates and pictures of your “internet friends” from all over the world, and you don’t even need to meet with them for coffee to know what they’re up to.
When the web first started, all websites were just about presenting content. Or to be more precise – information. It was a simple, high contrast design, with white background, black text and blue, underlined links. It’s been many years since then, although I remember using a lot of these principles when building websites back in 1998. They were easy to read, and the lack of multimedia due to slower connections at the time, was in fact a blessing that let us fully appreciate content.
Surely everyone who has ever written a blog knows, that even with akismet and all those other fancy gizmos, spam is constantly there. It can be characterized as landfills and trash dumps of modern technology, that just keeps piling up and there’s always more. But stating the existence of spam nowadays is like saying we need air to breathe. Pointless. What I want to focus on is how spam comments are evolving to trick us into clicking approve.
It’s hard to miss today’s big news about Steve Jobs’ passing. I won’t dive into monologues on how he changed my life and how he inspired me, because that’s what everyone does, and he doesn’t need more praise. Beside I wouldn’t be writing this if he didn’t inspire me, right? It’s better to start thinking what’s next, rather than re-living the past. Sure he’ll be remembered as he made a big dent in the world, but a more valid question for me is: does the style and passion end here for future CEO’s?
Sure people can fool you with washed-up phrases like “there’s no I in TEAM” and such, but the truth in the design community is a little different. Actually the more people involved in a project, the more fragmented it will be. Think of it as an android headset, with all the resolutions, different processors and performance, and a design needs to now fit it all.