Can I watch Vimeo videos on the iPad?

Yes, you can watch vimeo videos on your iPad, but not without exception.

Vimeo announced in January that it was releasing a beta version of an HTML5-based player as an alternative to its Adobe Flash based player.

Vimeo states that approximately 90% of its videos from the last year or so are available via the HTML5 player.

The HTML5 version of video comes is not without its pros and cons, however.

Pros

• no-wait loading, player loads instantly
• jump anywhere in the video without waiting for buffer to fill
• smoother playback

Cons

• only works on Vimeo.com, embedded Vimeo videos are still Flash and won't work on the iPad
• no full screen (yet)
• potential bugs -- Vimeo warns this is a beta and might have some surprises

If you want to use the HTML5 based player on Vimeo.com, simply click on the "Switch to HTML5 player" below any video.