Animations: CSS3 or GIF?

Question

I'm working on a client-side web app that is meant to run on an iPad 1.

Besides the fact, that the framework I'm using is slow-as-a-snail (not my choice), the app is making a lot of calls to the server. Right now i'm working on a "Loading..." screen. My question is:

Should I use CSS3 animations or simple GIF animations? Which one is faster?

Answer 1

In my experience on iPhones and iPod Touches (not iPads, but I take it they'll probably be about the same), GIFs are several orders of magnitude slower in animation than CSS animations, transitions, or what have you. I think their framerate is deliberately slowed, maybe to save battery life.