Apple iPad: a new lease of life for the ill-fated tablet?

Where does it fit in?

There isn't a shortage of devices that offer functionality similar to that of the iPad, but to see how Apple's solution stacks up to some of the competition, we've picked out a few of the most popular alternatives to see how the iPad compares.

The below table briefly outlines the hardware, functionality and pricing of seven popular products - including a smartphone, an e-reader, tablets, netbooks and notebooks.

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Taking the above data into consideration, it's easy to ascertain why the iPad has been described by many as a larger iPhone/iPod touch.

Yet, despite offering much of the same functionality, the two are very much unique in their own ways. The iPad is unable to make calls and doesn't feature a built-in camera - ruling out any possibility of video chat - but unlike the iPhone/iPod touch, it offers a larger screen, a faster processor, and added capabilities for office productivity and e-reading.

The ability to create and edit documents using Apple's iWork office suite suggests the iPad is moving firmly into personal computer territory, but not quite. Despite the added functionality, the iPad is still some way from tablet PC/notebook standards. At present, it offers no support for Adobe Flash-based content - the ubiquitous format used to deliver the majority of the Internet's video content - and there's no means of installing your own apps. Unless you can find it in the Apple-approved app store, you'll be unable to install your web browser of choice, or popular software packages such as Microsoft Office.

Furthermore, unlike other tablets or notebooks, and like Apple's own smartphone, the iPad currently suffers from an inability to multi-task. In terms of usage, that means you're restricted to running one application at a time.

Clearly, the iPad is something of an anomaly. In terms of functionality and usage, it's like no smartphone, tablet or notebook before it - it's an entirely new category of device, but is that a bad thing?