HTML5 date field and placeholder text in Safari

The iPad is doing the correct thing. The placeholder attribute isn't supported on input elements on type date. It's probably working on desktop Safari because that doesn't support the date type, so that attribute is being ignored and you're left with a plain text field. You could check in the DOM inspector.

Slight hack bit here goes...

Initially have the field as a text field. When the user focuses on the field switch the fields type to date and re-focus.

tested in ios6

HTML

<input type="text" placeholder="DOB" id="dob" />

JS

<script>

    var textbox = document.getElementById('dob')
        textbox.onfocus = function (event) {
            this.type = 'date';
            this.focus();
    }

</script>