The iPad is the second tablet computer developed by Apple Inc., after the Newton. Announced on January 27, 2010, it is part of a device category between a smartphone and a laptop computer. Similar in functionality to a larger and more powerful iPhone or iPod touch, it runs a modified version of the same operating system (iPhone OS), with a user interface redesigned to take advantage of the larger screen.
During earlier 2009, iPhone apps development and marketing was believed to be the fastest growing sector in the world of technology. But after the recent release of the new iPad, predictions indicate that iPad sales will see the same volatile growth like the iPhone and iPod devices.
The iPad is the latest “wow” gadget from Apple and like the iPod and iPhone before it, it’s likely to kick-start an entirely new market which bridges the gap between smartphones and netbooks. The iPad runs a similar operating system to the iPhone but since it is bigger and more powerful it can run larger and more resource intensive applications (or apps, to use the industry buzz word).
The iPad has the same multi-touch and accelerometer technology as the iPhone and so many of the application functionality designed for the iPhone can be used in the iPad.
In terms of the software, the iPad uses the iPhone SDK, not OS X. Applications can scale up their UIs to look the same but bigger like we’re seeing in early demos; applications can also take advantage of the larger iPad screen to show more options and functionality. Smart developers will leverage this to create applications that offer better functionality on the iPad as a differentiating factor against their competition.
