I’m sure you’ve heard that Apple recently released their latest game-changer; the iPad to great fanfare.
As an email marketer, you may be wondering how your emails will render on the iPad. Will your HTML emails appear as intended? If the iPad lacks multitasking support, how will hyperlinks work?
The iPad comes with Apple’s own Mail program and Safari browser set up by default, however, it also supports a large number of email clients/technology including MobileMe, Gmail, MS Exchange, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, and AOL as well as most IMAP and POP email systems. Users will be able to add and save their preferred email client to their device.
It appears that most email marketers should see no issue with their emails rendering on the iPad. When a user clicks a hyperlink in an email, the iPad will save their place, and then trigger Safari to open and display the destination page. Standard click-through and image (i.e. “open”) tracking functions should occur as normal.
Working with a certified Apple Reseller (many thanks to Chris McMullen at Computer Stores Northwest), we tested a SubscriberMail campaign from his online store account (PowerMax.com) to several of his addresses. He was able to view the emails just as if he was on regular laptop/computer, images rendered and links were actionable. I was able to verify in SubscriberMail’s Email Platform using the real-time reporting interface that both “open” (loading images) and clicks were recorded as expected.
From what I’ve read, “open” rates may be higher as some comments reference images being “on by default” in email. It’s unclear if this is across the board and how that works with individual web-based email clients, which traditionally have images off by default and/or the user’s preferences. If the iPad does force images on by default that would mean higher “open” rates for those using this device.
It will be some time before adoption rates are fully known (so far one million have been sold), and Apple is marketing this as a consumer-base/leisure device for accessing and enjoying all kinds of media, rather than a business device for email. So how many people will be using an iPad in their office to read email is anyone’s guess, and seems contrary to the vision for this device.
Some reviewers have noted that the initial iPads are utilizing the same version of the Safari browser used by the iPhone. This version apparently has some differences and limitations compared to the full browser. But it doesn’t appear that they would impact how HTML email is displayed. The 9.7” high-resolution screen is smaller than most laptop monitors, so that may mean that email preview pane displays are narrower.
Users can zoom in/out with their fingers (as on the iPhone), but it’ll be interesting to see some examples of how much impact this might have on the width of email display. If anything, this only further illustrates the need to optimize your emails, the upper left “zone” in particular, to ensure maximum impact, even if the right side is cut off due to ads or display width.
You may have read that the iPad does not support Flash, and instead will support HTML5’s video specifications. Email marketers know that Flash should not be included in email, however the possible use of HTML5 video could mean embedded video is approaching quickly. It will be an exciting new opportunity as email clients begin to support this coding.
So whether you’re interested in buying the iPad or not, I can confirm that the bright, high-resolution color display will show your email images beautifully. More importantly, the overall recipient experience should remain consistent to what someone reading your email on a computer experiences, and you won’t miss any of the critical email marketing metrics to measure your results.
