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iPad Pro Browsing on the iPad is horrible
- Thread starter Feffi2014
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Most websites today use what is known as “responsive” designs. This simply means they detect a combination of the device’s browser ID and/or screen resolution, and adjust themselves between a mobile or desktop version of the site and then after that is decided, match layouts and design to the reported resolution.
On the 12.9” Pro, for example, in iOS 12, the browser ID was mobile iPad, and the effective resolution given is just 1366x1024 (as it renders its native 2732x2048 resolution at a HiDPI @x2 retina rate).
In iPadOS, my hope is that the browser ID actually starts reporting itself as a desktop device, but the resolution is still 1366x1024.
The big problem is the browser ID being broadcast. Many many websites simply refuse to show the desktop version, even if requested, when a mobile browser ID is detected.
On the 12.9” Pro, for example, in iOS 12, the browser ID was mobile iPad, and the effective resolution given is just 1366x1024 (as it renders its native 2732x2048 resolution at a HiDPI @x2 retina rate).
In iPadOS, my hope is that the browser ID actually starts reporting itself as a desktop device, but the resolution is still 1366x1024.
The big problem is the browser ID being broadcast. Many many websites simply refuse to show the desktop version, even if requested, when a mobile browser ID is detected.
This is an option in settings. I'm not sure if it was there in iOS 12 but I have it set in iOS 13 to display all websites at 75% zoom by default.
I do hope simply changing the user agent fixes things.
Here’s what the homepage looks like in iOS 13
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There are already browsers where you can set the browser with a desktop agent. Edge and Opera for instance. Except that they crash too much. I do hope Safari will be solid and not crash on ipados 13
I’ve been using an ipad as my main computing device for so long that i love surfing the web on it so much more than on a computer or laptop. I guess its all what you’re use to.
Yes, it really does. Hopefully they really have changed the user agent for real...
Maybe someone @arn can look into their logs and confirm what the user agent for iPadOS is identifying itself as??
I just want to able to (1) go back to the previous page without having to wait for it to reload, this happens on MR forum pages a lot (2) keep a few tabs open without reloading. A $100 chrome book with 2 GB ram has no problem doing that, in fact it can open 15 tabs easily and keep the state.
I only browse the web in portrait mode on my 12,9" iPad (unless I'm using splitview). Much better browsing experience and I don#t have problems like this.
Good for you- I have never been able to have my Air 2 keep 15 tabs open without reloading.
Agreed! Using IOS 13 on my IPad Pro 11” and websites render much more closely to how they appear in Safari on my MacBook Pro. I don’t remember this before, but you can now scale a page using Cmd+ & Cmd- keys on Apple keyboard just as you can in MacOS.
I counted and I have 108 tabs on Safari on my Air 2. Of course with this number not all tabs can be open without reloading but recent tabs will not.
Here's the MR Front Page on iPP 12.9"/iOS 12 for comparison. Yep, it displays less content than your iPP 11".
Interesting. I do see some differences and what you are saying is right. Weird that 11” iPad can actually show more content than on 12.9” iPad, which is physically bigger in every way.
One thing I do like about 11” is I can barely two thumb typing on it in landscape mode while 12.9” is way too stretched,
Even though, iPad will always give you a far and better experience in Browsing unlike the tiny iPhone (iPhone XS Max) is always sticked to the mobile version. Haven't you compared both? iPhone is even more limited, though it is slightly faster than iPad (cuz of less data loaded) unlike iPads which is much closer to desktop version.
I am not sure what your point is. The OP would like a desktop like experience on a big almost 13” screen and you point out that you know of an even worse browsing experience elsewhere? There will always be a device that’s worse but that’s not the point of the discussion.