It took almost ten years for this idea to become a reality and  even the name was debated on for years. Prior to the launching of the iPad,  fans of its smaller predecessors came up with  names for the iPad such as,  The Slate, Apple Tablet, and a couple of other guesses, only to be presented with a name that some have made much fun of, the iPad.  People were really looking forward to something different, but instead it was a take off of the iPod and iPod touch, a bit disappointing for some.  One of the biggest reasons for the disappointment is that the iPad seems to be just a larger version of the iPod touch.

Maybe it was the hype created about the iPad,  there was so much hype that no other device in recent memory can compare to the publicity it  received, or maybe it’s because people expected so much. For one, they expected to have a device that performs way better than the one they already have – the iPod Touch. But then again, when a device carries  updated software of its predecessor with a few alterations here and there, it would be hard not to compare the two.

The user interface, itself, while for the most parts resemble those already available in iPod Touch has some additions that you can love, know and gripe about, just as you did with iPod Touch.First, there is a small handful of new tools like Pop-overs or modals, tap-and-hold, split screens, toolbar drop-downs, cover flow, contextual menus and that famous virtual keyboard. All these user interface additions allow you to do more and go further with your iPad things that simply can’t be done with its smaller, older twin.

On top of all of this the iPad, although not necessarily made as a real personal computer, is packed with applications like Keynote and Numbers that can let you do work on the go.  It allows you access to engaging Apple-made applications and third-party applications, for example, many of which are applications that iPod Touch enthusiasts have come to love.

The iPad does have it’s  shortcomings, for starters, iPad doesn’t allow multitasking, although it allows multitasking for Apple’s applications. If you’re used to doing 5 things at the same time on your computer, you’re out of luck, you can’t Twitter and open your email at the same time. You also can’t hold a conversation over an IM app and run Facebook apps simultaneously. For some users who are used to doing things this way, iPad is a big disappointment however, for the majority of users, this isn’t really such a big deal.

While many people are disappointed with the close comparison of the  iPad and iPhone, it’s still clear that the former is a revolutionary device that is not comparable to anything available on the market, and what’s even clearer is that the iPad is not a bigger version of the iPod Touch.