How to test a web application on an iPad and other tablets without buying them?

Question

Is there a trustworthy way to test iPad compatibility of a web application without buying the device itself? What about other tablets, do they provide any emulators?

Answer 1

If you have a Mac, just register with Apple (for free) and download the iOS SDK. It includes a program called 'iOS Simulator', which you can launch directly without knowing anything about Xcode/etc and includes Mobile Safari just like a real iPad. Since WebKit is exposed to iPad programmers for use in their programs, I'd expect the simulation to render identically to the real thing and, in practise, have never noticed any differences.

The iOS Developer Centre is here. Sadly, I have no experience of other tablets.

Answer 2

This is past mid-2012, now there are plugins or settings for User-Agent that "emulate" the connections for ipad (ios4 & ios5). Well it tricks the server into thinking that it is a different device.

For example, using Chrome, press F12 and click on settings (bottom right) and one of the tabs allows you to emulate the different devices.

safari - http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-activate-user-agent-switcher-in-safari.html

FF needs plugin: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/user-agent-switcher/

IE8 - http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/18450/change-the-user-agent-string-in-internet-explorer-8/

IE9/10 - anyone can help?