OK, I tried really hard not to mention the iPhone. I have nothing against the device. I think it’s revolutionary. It’s just that there’s enough coverage out there already.
This, however, is too important to pass up. Apple has released some web development guidelines for the iPhone. A half million people already have iPhones and that number will certainly increase quite a bit. A lot of companies are scrambling to make sure their sites are usable. Meebo just announced that (after a few quick tweaks over the weekend) their IM services now work on the iPhone. What about your web site? Apple’s guide is a really good overview of what works and what doesn’t. Mouse-over events and Flash are good examples of features that don’t work.
Libraries need to be particularly concerned about this. Users can walk into your library, attach to the WiFi with their iPhone, and try to access resources while standing in the stacks. Does your site’s navigation system work? Can they use the catalog? What about all of the databases?
My advice? Find someone who has an iPhone and test your web site on it. Be sure to test how fast your site loads while using the phone’s data network. This is just one more example that people should be coding their web site for devices these days (not just browsers).
