iPad beats smartphones in browsing speed test

Apple's iPad blew away several other mobile devices at loading Web pages, according to a recent speed test conducted by Compuware.

Although the test was geared toward smartphones and the iPad was used only as a reference point, Apple's popular tablet proved speedier at Web browsing than the iPhone, HTC Desire, BlackBerry Torch, and several other mobile devices.

Conducted in July, the test tried to determine the impact of each device on Web site performance. Specifically, the analysis looked at two measurements:

• Page load time, or how long it takes for a Web page to fully load.
• Perceived render time, or how long it takes for the visible portion of a page to appear to load in the browser.

To ensure that the results were of real-world conditions rather than those in a lab, Compuware took measurements from more than 200 million pages downloaded by the mobile devices of actual users in the U.S. last month. The firm captured and aggregated data via both cellular and Wi-Fi connections and different mobile browsers to see how people actually experience Web performance on their devices.

The results were then pared down to show only devices that collectively browsed or downloaded more than 1 million pages over the course of the month.

In top place, the iPad's load time was 6.8 seconds, while its perceived render time was 5.09 seconds. Trailing close behind was the HTC Desire with a load time of 6.87 seconds and a perceived render time of 5.16 seconds.

Of the 10 mobile devices analyzed (or 11 if the iPad is counted), the iPhone ended up about midrange with a load time of 10.81 seconds and a perceived render time of 8.08 seconds. Though not a smartphone, the iPod Touch was included as well and scored slightly behind the iPhone.

In last place was the Motorola Droid with a load time of 15.35 seconds and a perceived render time of 11.92 seconds.

Compuware, which acquired Gomez in 2009, sells tools designed to optimize server applications. Gomez specifically helps customers monitor and manage their Web sites and Web-based applications.