The iPad is only one year old and 15+ million people own one, but just what is a tablet good for? It is not even close to being a replacement for a PC and it is not necessary at all if you carry around a smartphone especially an iPhone 4, so why all the hype?

Perhaps the best gadget to compare with the iPad is the microwave oven, says tech writer Matthew Guay. Succeeding the conventional oven, the microwave oven could heat food faster and use less energy. Even though it wasn’t as good at cooking as an oven, and it wasn’t obvious why anyone would want a microwave, the microwave became a staple in practically every home, because people kept finding new ways to use this technological wonder

The iPad is no different, “Everyone thought the iPad needed traditional computer programs to be successful. After all, if you can’t use Office, what’s it good for?” Guay wrote.

Customers bought them under impulse because it was the in thing, with all the media hype (Apple does this very well) they took them home, and something magical happened. They realized how reading an e-book or browsing the internet from their couch on a tablet was quite comfortable. They found things they would have never thought to do on a computer were fun and simple. Apps that never made sense on computers with keyboards and mice, like GarageBand and finger paint apps and eReaders, suddenly found life on a 9.7-inch slate of glass and metal.

NPD Group did a study last year on the top three things consumers most likely do on their iPads are : surfing the web, writing and checking email, playing games.

“While lots of choices and compromises go into the development of any product, especially something as different as the iPad, these results indicate that most consumers are satisfied with their purchase and are increasingly finding ways to interact with their iPad,” NPD wrote.

Well there really isn’t much different between the iPad and the iPhone 4 besides the size although people are just fanatical about the device. Apple’s marketing strategy has succeeded once again. Brilliant just plain brilliant.

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