iPod, iPhone or iPad -- Which One Is Right For You?

Now that Apple Computer has unveiled its new iPad, iPod and iPhone users have a dilemma on their hands.  Do they upgrade to the iPad or buy one to use in addition to their iPod or iPhone? And should someone who doesn’t already have an Apple product choose the iPad over the iPod or iPhone?

There’s no clear-cut answer here.  The major benefit of the iPad over the other products is its larger screen, making it much easier to surf the Web, watch movies, play games and read books.

But, the iPad’s larger size (9.7 inch LED display, and 1.5 pound weight) makes it pretty unlikely you’ll carry it around in your pocket!  And the iPad won’t run Flash applications, so you can’t see video from a website, unless it’s on YouTube, which is included in a special player. It also means many components on websites won’t appear, let alone work.

It’s also unclear how well the iPad will perform as a book reader since it lacks the non-backlit screen and long battery life of Amazon’s Kindle.

The iPad clearly excels over the iPod touch with its business applications. The iPod’s tiny touch keyboard and small screen can’t compare to the iPad, which allows you to create elaborate presentations, word processing documents and spreadsheets by touching words and images on the large screen.

Some critics say the new iPad isn’t really a brand new device, but more like a deluxe edition of the iPod touch.  While you wouldn’t necessarily use it to replace your iPhone or iPod, the iPad could be useful for plane trips or at home when you’re lying on the couch.

We’ll just have to wait and see how much demand there will be when the Wi-Fi iPad model starts shipping in late March.