Today is the day Apples eagerly awaited iPad lands in the UK. The Twittersphere is full of Tweets from people from all walks of life who have added them to their wish-lists. There are some who have had iPads for some time and are letting everyone who’ll listen know how wonderful they are.

The hype spilled over to London’s LBC radio this morning, with host Nick Ferrari taking calls from listeners who will go to great lengths to get their hands on the thing. We even got to hear from an entrepreneur who managed to get on to promote his iPad screen protector films.

Thanks to Steve Jobs master marketing, everyone knows the benefits and what iPad looks like (and demand is pretty much guaranteed to outstrip supply).

What does iPad mean for web design? Our thoughts are with load speed now a major factor in Google’s results, thanks to the Caffeine release, and with iPad’s reliance on 3g and wifi connectivity, lean and compliant code is a must.

As the argument between Apple and Adobe continues to keep Flash off Apple products, jQuery’s use is booming, and alternatives to Flash delivery of video continue to be implemented.

There are over 200,000 apps already available for iPhone users, with the vast majority usuable on the iPad. Some make the transition from the small screen to the near A4 size screen better than others. There is the option to view in original size or expanded. There are already thousands of apps designed just for iPad, and the smart money is on this being a massive area of growth for designers and developers.

Last week Apple overtook Microsoft as the worlds biggest tech company. It will be interesting to look back in 12 months from now to see the effect the iPad has had on the gap.

Advice Chester, iPad, web designing