Very interesting question for the iPad is almost a mix between a laptop and a smart phone.  So, do you need to develop a specific site for the iPad?  Well, usually no, and here’s why.

The iPad has a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 which is the standard that most web designers build their sites for.  Does this mean that iPad can do whatever my laptop can do?  No, it basically means no radical changes are needed unless you have a full Flash site or inner Java scrolling (which I found out from my own site).

So, yeah there are limitations, but not much.  Flash for sure is a no-no which focusing on iPad or iPhone compatible sites.  For more information on the Flash/Apple issue, read my post here.

Netcompose.com for example looks pretty good on the iPad.  However, the home page 3D images (3 in the middle) don’t come out because, yes, it’s Flash.  Everything else however looks great!

If your a web developer an want to look more into the specs of an iPad, you can do so here: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/.

Other than Flash and some Java inner scrolling items, just about everything else works well.  I personally have an iPad and love it!  Granted I have found some of the limitations of not being to use Flash and other things, but the pros for sure out weigh the cons!

Should you build a site specific to the iPad?  Well, not really.  If your site is in Flash I would recommend building a “copy” site that is in HTML/CSS.  To be honest, technology is changing.  HTML5, CSS3, Javascripting, and more technologies really start pushing the need for Flash out the window.  I personally love the way Flash looks but don’t recommend developing a site in it.